Earth's Mightiest Hero
by TheWabbajackX
Summary: ((Takes place after Iron Man 3 and Thor 2. Godzilla 2014)) Loki returns for revenge but ends up unleashing prehistoric forces on an unsuspecting world. With the combined fury of Loki's army and the MUTOs, the Avengers find themselves overwhelmed and on the losing end. To turn the tables, Earth's mightiest heroes must seek the mightiest hero of them all to help save the Earth.
1. Plans in Motion

Loki sat perched on the stairs, listening to the Other drone on to his master. He was growing anxious, wanting to sweep through the Earth and take it over completely. The Earth fascinated him in a menagerie of ways. Its diverse life and various cultures. If he did not find the humans so savage, he would admire them. They were so weak and feeble in comparison to his divine magnificence. He felt confident that he could enslave the Earth even without the Tesseract. Were it not for the Avengers, his last attempt would have been victorious.

"Come forth," the Other said. Loki rose from his seat and approached the master. He knelt before the throne he sat upon.

"The Tesseract has been located," the Other told him. "It has returned to Earth."

"Thor," Loki scowled. At some point, the Asgardian must have stolen it away from his home and hidden it on the blue planet.

"How have you allowed the Tesseract to slip through your fingers?" the Other chided. "Are you not the ruler?"

"Thor has grown increasingly paranoid," Loki said. "I believe he suspects."

"This puts our plan in jeopardy," the Other said.

"Have faith in me," Loki pleaded. "Double the forces given to me last time. It can be done. I have grown stronger since our last attempt."

"You expect us to try the same plan again?" the Other asked. "You're insane." He quickly turned to meet his master who merely nodded at him. "But-" His master held up his hand. The Other slowly turned to Loki. "Very well. My master has decreed that you shall have your army. But failure, this time, will not be an option." A large grin stretched across Loki's face.

"Oh thank you," he said graciously. "With your aid, the Earth shall be mine and the universe yours. If you will excuse me, I must plan." As Loki made his way down the winding stairs, the Other turned to his master.

"I do not understand," he said. "After his failure last time, you would trust him again?" His master merely grinned.

"He will undoubtedly be beaten, but not before more death and destruction occurs," he said. "When the time comes, I will accompany him to Earth. I wish to test myself against these Avengers."

* * *

The lush tropical jungle of the Philippines stretched on for miles, mostly undisturbed by man and nature. It almost seemed to be a completely other world. A prehistoric relic from millennia passed. Fitting enough, it hid secrets as old as it was.

Back in 1999, a large quarry had collapsed. A few dozen miners were killed when the land gave way. Coincidentally, a nuclear power plant located in the town of Janjira, Japan collapsed. The town was evacuated and then placed under an indefinite quarantine that extends even to this day. The official reason given was that an earthquake occurred, but records of seismic activity for that day were never released to the public. They were supposedly lost in the incident.

Supposedly.

With the Janjira area completely abandoned of all human life save for authorized personnel, research could be done in these areas. Both Janjira and the Philippine quarry were under ownership of a joint Japanese-American military organization known as Monarch. They specialized in studying the effects of nuclear radiation on the Earth and its wildlife. Monarch was considered the little sister of SHIELD. The two did not have much in common. SHIELD was more dedicated to weapon research and espionage, while Monarch was more focused on environmental endeavors. However, the discovery back in 1999 suddenly made them bedfellows.

The quarry's collapse had unearthed something absolutely remarkable to Monarch. Perfectly preserved and intact was an enormous skeleton. It was unlike anything ever seen in the fossil record. It had been left in the quarry for all those years, with Monarch establishing a base around the skeleton. The project leader did not wish for the skeleton to be damaged in any way, seeing as how it was so enormous. Top scientists from both Monarch and SHIELD were brought in, but the results were all the same. There was absolutely no other creature like it in existence. The only universal conclusion they could all come to was that it was some sort of dinosaur. Attached to the skeleton were two fleshy pods, perfectly preserved. They seemed to resemble chrysalises from butterflies, only bulbous and colored like rusty dark red. Research into what these things were continued for years. 2014 had come upon them all, and nothing had been learned on what these things were.

A young British woman was sitting at a desk in a makeshift tent, typing up files to be distributed to Monarch and SHIELD command. She wore blue jeans and had a purple collared shirt with a grey blazer over it. She had two small gold earrings, and her long brown hair was done up in a ponytail. Her messy bangs covered her forehead. A faint thumping reached her ears, the noise steadily growing louder. Her brown eyes darted to the sky and saw a helicopter inbound for their location. It was sleek and colored black. SHIELD standard issue.

"Sensei!" she called, hoping her voice would pick up over the thumping of the propellers. A middle aged Japanese man came running out of the cavern. He wore a black jacket over his buttoned white collared shirt and had the pants to match said jacket. A Monarch ID card was hanging on his neck. A thin beard dotted the edges of his face. He removed his glasses and cleansed them of the dirt that obscured them. The helicopter doors slid open, and two people stepped out. One man and one woman.

The woman wore a tight form fitting black jumpsuit. Sitting on her hips were two holsters with pistols filling them up. On her wrists were some sort of gauntlets. She had green eyes and short wavy red hair. The man had a black bodysuit but had a thick black jacket over his. He had short brown hair and blue eyes. The two of them approached the two scientists.

"Doctor Serizawa?" the woman asked. The Japanese man nodded. "Doctor Graham?"

"Oh," she piped. "Y-yes. That's me. Vivienne Graham."

"I'm Natasha Romanoff," the woman said. "This is my partner, Clint Barton. We've been sent to provide you with escort to Janjira. You're being reassigned."

"Reassigned?" Serizawa asked. "But what about my project here?"

"Nick Fury says he'll take good care of it for you until you get back," Natasha said.

"Where's Agent Coulson?" Vivienne asked. "We usually deal with him in situations like these. This just seems a bit too…. domestic for your lot. Um, no offence."

"He's awaiting you at Janjira," Clint said. "He's a little preoccupied." A puzzled expression found itself on Serizawa's face.

"Preoccupied?" he repeated. "What's happening there?"

"All Nick Fury said was that the MUTO is acting up, and that you would know what that means," Natasha said. Serizawa and Vivienne exchanged worried looks. Clint caught them, and his brow furrowed.

"Very well," Serizawa said. "Vivienne, gather what you absolutely need. We're leaving."

"Yes, Sensei," she said, rushing to her tent. She scrambled to gather as many papers as she could, sliding them into a folder and trying to avoid crumpling any. Vivienne placed the file in a briefcase sitting on the desk, hoping she had everything. She rushed quickly to the chopper. Serizawa helped her up and slid over to give her room. Natasha and Clint climbed into the chopper and slid the doors shut. Kicking up clouds of dust, the black helicopter lifted up from the quarry and turned in the direction of Janjira.

"You guys mind if I ask you some things?" Clint asked.

"Not at all," Serizawa said with a smile. "I enjoy talking about my work. When I can."

"What's this MUTO thing? Fury didn't tell us anything." Vivienne and Serizawa looked at each other. "Classified, huh?"

"I'm afraid so," Serizawa lamented.

"I gotcha," he said. "Can you at least say what you're doing so far out here?" Vivienne's eyes lit up in anticipation. She looked over at Serizawa who nodded with a smile.

"It's the greatest find of the century," she said excitedly. "It's a skeleton. An enormous skeleton unlike anything witnessed before in Earth's history."

"What is it?" Natasha asked, her interest piqued.

"That, we're not entirely sure of," Vivienne admitted. "Although, the general consensus is that it is some sort of dinosaur."

"What makes this dinosaur so special?" Clint asked.

"It's a large carnivorous species," Vivienne explained. "The largest animal ever found."

"How big, exactly?" Natasha asked.

"Well, the longest dinosaur discovered before our specimen was Argentinosaurus, which could be 130 feet long. This skeleton is about 247 feet long." Clint let out a huff, impressed with what he heard.

"Exactly how is this connected to this MUTO thing Nick Fury mentioned?" Natasha asked. Serizawa and Vivienne looked down. Clint frowned, the casual manner now replaced with uneasy tension. Natasha turned her head and gazed out the window. She watched as the ocean seemed to pass by them. She was slightly irritated. If there was one thing she couldn't stand, it was not knowing the situation at hand. A thought then graced her head, causing a small smile to purse her luscious lips. There was somebody who could help her find out.


	2. Independent Research

**Author's Note: The first chapter has been rewritten slightly.**

Stark Tower stood tall in the middle of New York City. Technically, it was no longer "Stark Tower". It had been retooled into Avengers Tower, a base made to accommodate his teammates should the need for them to assemble ever arise. Tony Stark had made personal touches to everyone's quarters and was even working on some matching Avengers patches they could wear. He was the only one in the tower today. Everyone else was out. He was putting the finishing touches on his new Iron Man suit, his best work to date.

"JARVIS, what does today's schedule look like?" he asked.

"Clean slate, sir," his AI companion stated.

"Hmm, we should fix that," Tony said, checking himself out in his reflection in the suit. "You know what Pepper's doing?"

"Besides you, sir?" JARVIS replied. Tony's eyes widened a little in surprise.

"Anyone tell you you're a riot, JARVIS?" he asked.

"Only you, sir."

"You oughta do standup."

"You have to have legs to stand up, sir," was the reply he got. Tony laughed quietly. "Also, agent Natasha Romanoff has returned. She wishes to speak with you."

"Oh, I think I know where this is going," Tony said.

"Do you, sir?" JARVIS asked.

"JARVIS, I'm gonna need you to reduce the snark by about 50 percent."

"I can't do that, sir. You programmed me to always maintain optimum snark levels."

"Good man," Tony said. "Alright, send her up."

"She's already here, sir." The elevator doors slid open, and Natasha walked inside.

"Hello, Mister Stark," she said.

"Please," Tony said. "Just call me "Tony". We're teammates. No need to be so formal. Although, if you have to be, "Lord Stark" would be preferable." He took a sip of water from his glass and sat it back down on the desk. "Where's Barton at? This a solo gig?"

"I'll be returning to him soon," she said. "I just need you to do something for me."

"Headed out so soon?" Tony asked. "You just got here."

"SHIELD's got a mission for me," Natasha said. "That's what I came here for. I want you to do a little research on something for me."

"Research your mission?" he asked.

"Correct," she replied. "SHIELD has been stonewalling me. And I don't like not being in the loop." A smirk slowly crept across Tony's face.

"Oh, this is good," he said. "Fury's star student is being kept in the dark."

"I'm not his "star student". I'm just good at what I do."

"You're the teacher's pet, sweetie," he said.

"Look, can you just do this?" she asked.

"Alright, alright," Tony said, holding up his hands. He sat down and waved his hands through the air, interacting with the holographic UIs. "What am I researching here?"

"What do you know about Monarch?" Natasha asked. Tony looked at her with a bemused look on his face.

"The environment guys?" he asked. "They study how nuclear radiation affects the environment. Spoiler alert: it ends badly. Fury got you playing babysitter to the cleanup guys?"

"And what do you know about Janjira?" she asked.

"It was a small Japanese town with an American made nuclear facility in it," he said. "Earthquake hit the facility in '99. Big nuclear contamination disaster. Been quarantined ever since."

"They've been very secretive about something," she said.

"And this is a surprise to you?" Tony asked.

"I usually keep the secrets," Natasha said. "I came here to ask for your help in researching this. Off the record. I'll find what I can while I'm working there, but I could use an ace."

"Well, most of this is just public knowledge," Tony said. "What's got you so stumped?"

"Nick Fury mentioned a particular word that I haven't been able to turn anything up on," she said. "MUTO."

"JARVIS-"

"Already on it, sir," he replied. "Also, greetings Miss Romanoff. Always wonderful to have you around."

"Thank you, JARVIS," she said. "Keep this in the dark from Fury."

"Don't worry," Tony said. "I won't tattle on you. If I find anything, I'll patch it to you privately."

"Thanks," Natasha said. She looked at her watch. "I've got to get going. Tell Pepper I said "Hello"."

"Will do," Tony said. The SHIELD agent slinked back into the elevator, which shut with a hiss and descended back down. "Alright, JARVIS. What have you got on MUTO?"

"Nothing, sir," was the AI's response. "It's not even a real word."

"So it's some sort of technical jargon," Tony said.

"SHIELD's firewall prevents me from accessing anything in their archives about it."

"Typical Fury," Tony said. "No fun at all. Well, I guess I found what I'm doing today."

* * *

The elevator doors slid open. Pepper Potts walked into Tony's laboratory, her heels clicking on the floor. She saw Tony sitting before a desk with a holographic display at his left. On the wall were dozens of newspaper clippings pinned under the word "MUTO" written in large black lettering.

"Wow, what's all this?" she asked. "Turned into one of those conspiracy nuts?"

"It's a little something Natasha asked me to look into," Tony replied.

"Did she now?" Pepper asked, folding her arms and smiling slightly.

"She says "hi", by the way. SHIELD's got her on some mission with Monarch."

"The Japanese-American military group?" Pepper asked.

"That's why you're my number one assistant," Tony said. "You're always on point. No offence, JARVIS."

"Of course, sir," the AI replied dryly.

"Why does Fury have her working with the glorified Environmental Protection Agency?" Pepper asked. "And what is "MUTO"?"

"Both equally good questions," Tony said. "Also, both of which I don't have answers for. Now I know how Natasha must feel. This sucks."

"Oh, the great Tony Stark out of the loop," Pepper said with a teasing smile. "Doesn't feel too good, does it?"

"So now you're ganging up on me?" Tony joked. "Great. First JARVIS, and now you. I can't catch a break. God, this is gonna drive me insane."

"What have you managed to find out?" Pepper asked.

"Not what I wanted, but I did find many interesting details," Tony said. "Janjira, Japan is where they're working. That's what Natasha told me. The entire town was quarantined because of the enormous contamination from the radiation leakage. The nuclear facility collapsed back in '99, with the official cause being stated by the Japanese government as an earthquake. Interestingly enough, the data on seismic activity that day in the area was never released. It was "lost", according to the government. And now I sound like a conspiracy theorist."

"Well, the newspaper clippings don't help," Pepper said.

"Monarch deals with the environment and radiation," Tony continued. "They study how the environment is affected and then attempt to fix it. There have been absolutely no records released to the public from them or the government about the cleanup progress. Now, why would SHIELD work with Monarch? Doesn't make a lot of sense." Pepper opened her mouth to say something but stopped and contemplated his words.

"You're right," she said. "That doesn't make any sense."

"Boom," Tony said. "Point for me. SHIELD's all about weapons and advanced scientific research. They wouldn't bother with something so small in scale to them."

"So what do you think is the case?" Pepper asked.

"Well, they're definitely keeping secrets," he said. "But what kind?" He stared intently at the word "MUTO" up on the board, as though some revelation would suddenly make itself known to him. "What are you hiding, Fury?"


	3. Pet Project

"Commander on deck," a voice called out. SHIELD agents stood at attention as the chopper descended before them. Doctor Serizawa and Professor Graham were standing alongside Natasha and Clint, waiting on the passengers to exit the vehicle. They had spent the majority of the day filling out paperwork and organizing for supplies to be transported to and from the quarry.

Nick Fury climbed out of the helicopter, his black trenchcoat flowing in the wind from the spinning propellers. A woman with short hair and wearing a tight form fitting blue jumpsuit followed him out.

"At ease," Fury said with a wave of his hand. The agents continued on their ways. "Doctor Serizawa. Doctor Graham. I hope everything here is to your liking. I know it's not the hole in the ground you're used to back in the Philippines, but I hope you're comfortable. You both remember Agent Maria Hill, I hope?" Serizawa bowed respectfully, and Vivienne nodded, which Agent Hill returned. "Where is Agent Coulson?"

"He's up in the main facility," Serizawa stated. "Looking over everything alongside Professor Selvig. We haven't had the chance to head up ourselves."

"Lots of paperwork to fill," Vivienne added. Fury scoffed.

"Bureaucratic nonsense," he said. "But now that I'm here, we can finally figure out why the MUTO's gotten chatty."

"Chatty?" Vivienne asked.

"Coulson will explain," Fury said. "Barton. Romanoff. You two as well. I know you've just been spinning your wheels here and want to know the deal."

"I don't like being kept in the dark," Natasha said.

"I'm well aware," Fury replied. The seven of them made their way inside the facility hidden deep in the ruins of the power plant.

"Interesting choice of camouflage," Clint said, noting the ruins. "A whole city to hide whatever you have out here."

"Extreme but necessary," Agent Hill said.

"My sentiments exactly," Fury said.

"Exactly what is it about this MUTO that's got SHIELD on high alert?" Natasha asked.

"Can't tell you that exactly," Fury said.

"Mostly because we're not entirely sure ourselves," Vivienne said.

"But we can show you it," Fury said. A huge metal door slid open, leading into a large open chamber with an exposed roof. Long cables crossed over the opening like a spider web. Large towers stood tall and high with huge floodlights illuminating the center. A large electric fence surrounded a peculiar object in the center. Clint and Natasha stared up at the object in amazement. It was a large black rocky construct that curled downwards at the top. The underside of it glowed red. "THAT is MUTO."

"What is it?" Natasha asked.

"Can't tell you that, either," Fury said.

"What CAN you tell us?" Clint asked. Fury looked to Vivenne.

"I'll answer what I can," she said.

"Is it alien?" Clint asked. Vivienne looked over to Fury who gave her a calm nod.

"No," she said. "It's native to this planet. A large prehistoric… thing."

"Like that dinosaur skeleton you found?" Natasha asked.

"Yes," Serizawa said.

"We will discuss the nature of the MUTO later," Fury said. "For now, I need the both of you to be on lookout. Barton, climb up one of those towers and keep your arrows primed. Romanoff, I want you to patrol the outer reaches."

"We expecting somebody?" Clint asked.

"Hopefully not," Fury replied. The two agents went their separate ways while Fury led the two scientists to the observation platform where Agent Coulson was waiting. The elevator that took them up opened, revealing a room bathed in red fluorescent lighting. Phil Coulson and Doctor Erik Selvig were in the room.

"Doctor Serizawa," he said, shaking the Japanese man's hand. "It has certainly been a while." He turned to see Vivienne smiling at him. "Hello, Vivienne."

"H-hello, Phillip," she said shyly. Selvig grasped Serizawa's hand and shook it firmly.

"Doctor Serizawa," he said eagerly. "This is TRULY an honor, sir. The research Monarch has produced in environmental science is absolutely remarkable. And Doctor Graham." He shook her hand eagerly as well. "You are such an inspiration. My colleague Jane Foster is an absolute fan of yours."

"Oh," Vivienne said in genuine surprised. "Well, thank you. Tell her that I am honored."

"Not to damper this little parade, but I do believe we have a MUTO to discuss," Fury interrupted.

"Right," Coulson said. "I'll try to debrief you both as simply as possible. Approximately twenty four hours ago, the MUTO suddenly began acting up. We have no idea why. Up until that point, it has provided us with absolutely no problems. Then, it began to give off a seismic reading that began to disrupt our systems."

"You think it's connected to the Tesseract?" Hill asked.

"It might be," Coulson said.

"The Tesseract?" Vivienne asked.

"I assume you're both familiar with it," Fury said. The two nodded.

"I thought that the Avenger Thor had taken it with him back to his home realm," Vivienne said.

"He did," Fury said. "And then brought it back. Thor believes that his father Odin's council has been infiltrated."

"By Loki?" Vivienne asked.

"Might be," Fury said.

"He stole the Tesseract and handed it over to us here at SHIELD," Coulson continued. "We told him we'd take good care of it until this mystery was solved. This MUTO needs to consume a lot of radiation and energy in order to stay alive. Our facilities aren't well equipped enough to compensate for its needs. So I poured as much of our available resources as I could into building a device that would use the Tesseract as a power source. Instant problem solver. However, the Tesseract began having random high energy spikes, and this has gotten our MUTO talking." Fury pulled up a holographic representation of the seismic signal the MUTO made. It was the same pattern over and over. "The MUTO will periodically act up from time to time. It's always the same signal."

"It's a pattern," Serizawa said, noticing the signal shape and the intervals it occurred. "I cannot say for the certain that the MUTO and the Tesseract are connected. I will need to proceed with my research before I can accurately say."

"It may be a while before you can analyze the Tesseract," Coulson said. "Although it does provide a clean, cheap, and renewable energy resource, the device to maintain and limit its power outputs gets worn down quick. It'll need to be replaced before it will be safe to study."

"How long?" Vivienne asked.

"About a week," Coulson said.

* * *

Tony Stark sat at his desk, his head lying back on his chair. All the information he had pulled up on Janjira was starting to rehash itself. He was close to calling it a night but was determined to get one more clue before hitting it. And then he saw it.

An article about Monarch's research into genetic mutations caused by nuclear radiation and their instability. The three names of the scientists involved were ones Stark was very familiar with. Doctor Ishiro Serizawa was Monarch's head researcher and an absolute genius. Doctor Vivienne Graham was Serizawa's assistant and was one of the most prominent female scientific figures of the modern times. But the name that was the most noticeable was that of his friend, Bruce Banner.

"Hmm," he said to himself.

"An idea, sir?" JARVIS asked.

"Call up Bruce, will you?" he asked.

"Certainly, sir," the AI replied. A dial tone rang out for a minute before a voice spoke.

"Stark?" a voice asked.

"Hey, buddy," Tony said. "Sorry if it's a little late."

"No, it's fine," Bruce said. "Didn't expect to hear from you, honestly. Something up?"

"Actually, yeah," Tony said. "I'm doing some independent research, and I came across a study you did with Monarch."

"Oh, that thing?" Bruce asked. "What's so special about that?"

"Well, what exactly did they do?"

"They studied the genetic changes and radiation putout that occurs when I become…. well, you know. Big, mean, and green."

"Oh, so you'll Hulk out for them but not for me when somebody parks in my spot," Tony said.

"That was for science," Bruce said.

"We could've done something scientific with that car."

"Why are you so interested in Monarch?" Bruce asked. "They don't exactly seem like your style."

"Well, Natasha came by the office today and told me SHIELD had her doing a mission for them."

"Really?" Bruce asked. "That doesn't seem like their style either."

"Not unless they can get something out of it," Tony said.

"What are you getting at?"

"You remember that big earthquake that hit Janjira back in '99, right?" Tony asked.

"Yeah," Bruce replied. "They evacuated the whole city and quarantined it because of all the fallout."

"Well, Monarch has been stationed there for years, and they haven't produced any sort of research findings," Tony said. "No environmental studies. No cleanup progress. Nothing." Bruce was silent for a minute.

"That's definitely odd," he said. "But what are you saying?"

"I think Monarch is hiding something, and SHIELD is in on it," he said.

"Okay, now you sound like one of those conspiracy nuts, Tony. Next you're gonna tell me you have newspaper clipping all over your wall." Tony slowly glanced over at the wall with all the articles pinned on it.

"Give me some credit, Bruce," he said. "Well, fine, then. Guess I'm the tinfoil hat guy, huh?"

"Well, I will admit that your evidence is hard to ignore. You ever consider just contacting Nick Fury?"

"Bruce, you're a man of science, and you know good and well that was a stupid question to ask," Tony said.

"I'm being facetious, Tony," he said with a laugh. "But I'll tell you what. If it'll make you feel better, I'll do some research of my own. That work?"

"Not sure that you'll find anything that I haven't, but give it a try," Tony said. "Send me anything unusual that you find."

"You mean besides a guy in a robot suit that hangs out with a viking?" Bruce asked.

"Good night, Bruce." The phone clicked, and silence filled the room once more. Tony continued to scan over all that he had gathered before JARVIS interrupted him once more.

"Sir, I found something that may be of interest to you," he said.

"Let's have it," Tony replied. A picture of a middle aged man with a square head was projected in front of him. Pictures of the Janjira ruins appeared beside him.

"This man is Joe Brody," JARVIS stated. "Member of the Rising Tide. He is a registered physicist that had been employed at the Janjira Power Plan in 1999 when it collapsed. His wife, Sandra Brody, was a casualty of the accident. He has a son, Ford Brody. A lieutenant and EOD Technician in the United States Navy. Married to Elle Brody, registered nurse at San Francisco Memorial Hospital. One son. Sam Brody."

"JARVIS, focus," Tony pleaded.

"Joe Brody was arrested by Japanese police yesterday for attempting to break into the quarantine zone." Tony stared deeply at the picture of Joe Brody.

"Well, that IS interesting," he said. He rose from his chair and went for his suit. "Is he still in custody?"

"Correct, sir," JARVIS said.

"Looks like visiting hours are now, JARVIS," Tony said. "Pay his bail and have his kept until I arrive."

"Going to get hands on, sir?"

"You betcha," he said with a smirk.

* * *

The door rattled open, and Joe led Tony inside. Joe's house looked like every cliched obsessed conspiracy theorist's house was. Magazine and graph clippings pinned onto the wall. Piles of books stacked in the corner. Garbage bags and dirty dishes littering the room.

"Please excuse the mess, Mr. Stark," he said. "I wasn't expecting company." Tony merely chuckled.

"Hey, I've lived like this before," he said. "Not a big surprise."

"Please," Joe said. "Make yourself at home." Tony took a seat on the couch. Joe pulled up a chair and sat down, looking at the billionaire with uncertainty. "Mr. Stark, I don't understand."

"Of course you don't," Tony said. "You're not in the loop." Joe looked bewildered.

"Loop?" he asked. "What loop? I'm just a physicist. Or I was."

"Was," Tony said. "That's the key word."

"What do you mean?"

"This isn't the first time this has happened," Tony said. Joe didn't respond. "You've been arrested before. For-"

"Breaking into the quarantine zone," Joe said flatly and then sighed. He looked down at the dusty floor in silence. "Does my son know?"

"No," Tony said. "I had this kept a secret."

"Thank God," Joe said with relief. The last thing he wanted was to disappoint his son again. "But why, though? What about me has gotten the interest of the Avengers?"

"Not the Avengers," Tony said. "Just me. I'm doing a little private investigation."

"Into what?"

"Janjira." Joe stared at Tony in silence, unsure of what to make of him.

"...Why?"

"A man on the inside told me that SHIELD's involved," he said. "The agent codenamed "Black Widow" told me about something called "MUTO". Now, Black Widow isn't the type of lady to stumble in the dark. She came to me for answers, hoping I'd find something. I think I might have. You."

"Me?" Joe asked.

"I wanted to ask you about what happened that day," Tony said. "Nobody else has any clue, and any attempts to reach out to Monarch for info get me nothing. Same for SHIELD. You're my best bet."

"This MUTO," Joe said. "Could it be a superweapon?"

"Let's hope not," Tony said somberly. "What happened that day?" Joe sighed.

"It was my birthday," he started. "My wife and I, Sandra, had gone to work. There were seismic anomalies emanating from beneath. I sent her down to investigate them. To see if the plant is damaged. There was a hull breach. To prevent contamination, I had to activate the emergency lock. Her team... didn't make it." Tony placed his hand gently on Joe's shoulder.

"I'm sorry to make you relive that," he said calmly. "But it's important that I know everything if I'm to find the truth."

"The truth," Joe repeated. "You don't believe them either, do you?"

"Never accept the official story," Tony said. "Especially when SHIELD's involved."

"You don't think I'm crazy," Joe said.

"Not at all." Joe let out a heavy sigh, like a weight had been lifted off of his back. "What else do you know?" Joe quickly rose from his chair and gathered papers from his desk. They were graph readouts of some kind. He plopped a book on echolocation down beside them.

"Echolocation," he said, looking down at the book.

"Yeah," Tony said. "Bats and whales and stuff." Joe pointed at the fluctuations on the paper.

"These," he said, pointing at them. "Communication. These match the exact same ones from fifteen years ago. Something's talking. Calling out. And I've got it here!"

"So... you think some sort of animal is calling out," Tony said. "And it caused the Janjira plant collapse all those years ago."

"I'm not saying that exactly, but it's not far off..." Tony began to have second thoughts on this.

"Well," he said, rising to his feet. "Thank you, Mr. Brody, but it's time I continue my investigation."

"Wait! No!" Joe said, grabbing Tony's arm. "Don't leave! You've gotta believe me!"

"I didn't say I didn't," Tony said.

"You think I'm crazy," Joe said. "I'm NOT crazy."

"I believe you," Tony said with the utmost sincerity. "But I need more to go off of than what you have." Joe let go of Tony's arm and scratched his head. "The tapes!"

"Tapes?"

"Yes!" Joe said. "Tapes! Dozens of them. At my house in the quarantine zone!"

"Is that what you broke in to get?" Tony asked.

"Exactly. If I can get them, then-"

"Mr. Brody," Tony said, placing his hands on Joe's shoulders. "I need you to calm down. And listen. Listen carefully." Joe nodded. "Let me handle this. Don't go after those tapes."

"I-I can't do that," Joe said, shaking him off. "My wife is still in those ruins. I need to-I can't let this go."

"You have to," Tony pleaded.

"No, I can't! I just-"

"Listen to me, goddammit!" Tony shouted, shaking Joe violently. Joe's breathing got silent. "I'm Tony Stark. Genius, billionaire, playboy, philanthropist, and superhero. You're Joe Brody. A former physicist. You've got nothing. I've got money, power, and technology."

"What are you saying?" Joe asked.

"I'm saying you can't get in too deep," Tony said. "I can't protect you from this happening every time. If you try this again, they might not let you go. Especially when SHIELD's involved and if you've found something. They can't touch me, but they can erase you. They've done it before." Joe looked down at his boots, defeated. "I'm trying to protect you. You deserve the truth, but let me investigate and find this out. This is what I do. I'm an Avenger. I'm not SHIELD. I'm not gonna cover this up. I'm not that guy anymore." Joe nodded slowly, coming to terms with what Tony said. Tony reached into his coat pocket and removed an envelope. "Here's some money. Enough to keep you set for a long time. Go home. To your family. Your son and grandson. Your daughter in law." Joe looked at him with surprise. "I looked them up. Nice people. You deserve to be a part of their lives. I never had that opportunity with my father. Don't lose this. Let this go, and let me handle it." Tony shook his hand and left Joe to his thoughts. The shaken old man stared at the envelope in his hand, completely unaware that Tony had left. There was enough money to buy a plane ticket to San Francisco. To buy a house. He had a chance to make things right.

* * *

**Edit 7/22/14: Added dialogue with Joe Brody.**


	4. Hokmuto

Coulson walked down the dimly lit corridor with Serizawa and Vivienne alongside him. An Asian woman in a SHIELD uniform was escorting them to a utility closet that had been re-purposed to be an interrogation room.

"Found him inside the Q-Zone," she said. "Had a bag full of tapes on him. Repeat offender. Name's Joe Brody. Former employee here." They stopped in front of a glass window where a middle aged man was sitting at a table talking with a Monarch agent.

"We'll take it from here, Agent May," Coulson said. She nodded and left the three to their own work. Serizawa and Vivienne opened the bag of tapes and looked over them with great curiosity.

"What is all this?" Vivienne asked.

"Independent research," Coulson noted. He returned his attention to Joe Brody, looking very agitated.

"Look, I'm tired of talking to you about this," he said. "I want to see Tony Stark. I wanna see him and know what he's found." The SHIELD agent inside looked very confused, as did Coulson. "This guy." Joe pointed at a Monarch agent standing beside the SHIELD one. He was a Japanese gentleman in full body gear. "This guy knows. He knows where he is." Joe spat something in Japanese at him, but the guard didn't respond. "I want my bag and disks. And I wanna talk to somebody in charge." Joe rose from his chair and tapped his finger on the wooden table. The SHIELD agent attempted to say something but was shouted down by Joe. "No, no! Not you! I'm done talking to you! Alright?" He turned his gaze over to the glass window at his right. It was a one way mirror. He couldn't see them, but they could see him. "You're looking at me right now." He pointed at the glass, feeling the eyes on the other side on him. "Like I'm in a fish tank. Right? Well, that's fine, because I know what happened here." Serizawa and Vivienne looked up from the tapes and glanced into the room at Joe, their interest piqued. "You keep telling everybody that this place is a death zone, but it's not! You're lying! Because what's REALLY happening is that you're hiding something out there!" Coulson grew tense. "I'm right, aren't I?"

"Do you think he really knows something?" Vivienne whispered.

"Possibly," Coulson said. "He's a member of the Rising Tide. Might've found something."

"MY WIFE DIED HERE!" Joe shouted, interrupting his thoughts. "Something KILLED my wife! AND I HAVE A RIGHT TO KNOW! I deserve answers!" Coulson waved the SHIELD and Monarch agents to him.

"Look over those tapes," he said as the two exited the room. Coulson entered the room with Joe and sat down. "Mr. Brody."

"Who are you?" Joe asked.

"Agent Phil Coulson," he said, holding up a badge. "You wanted to talk to somebody in charge? Here I am."

"Where's Tony Stark?" Joe asked. "I know he's involved."

"Mr. Stark and the other Avengers have absolutely nothing to do with what SHIELD and Monarch are researching here," Coulson said. "I'm going to level with you, Mr. Brody. You're right. We ARE hiding something here." Joe looked up at him, his eyes ablaze with energy. "But it's something we can't reveal."

"My wife," Joe said. "My wife died here! I deserve answers!"

"You're not the only one who's lost something, Mr. Brody," Coulson said. "We've all lost something. This whole town was evacuated. People left behind their livelihoods, pets, and personal possessions. Many people died in that accident, Mr. Brody. But there are some secrets that must be kept hidden away."

"You can't hide secrets anymore," Joe said. "Thor, Loki, and those aliens in New York. The whole world knows!"

"That doesn't mean secrets shouldn't exist," Coulson said. "Sometimes, secrets are necessary to protect the people. Because the truth isn't always what we like to hear. Trust me. I know. More than anyone else." Joe sat in silence, unsure of how to proceed. Coulson took advantage of his silence. "How do you know Mr. Stark?"

"The last time I attempted to sneak into the quarantine zone, he bailed me out," Joe said. "He told me he was investigating this. That he found something. Some secret."

"What did you tell him?" Coulson asked.

"What was on the disks," Joe said. "In my bag." Vivienne and Serizawa had fished out several graphs and printouts. Serizawa froze when he saw the graph with the wavelength pattern. The date on the graph read '99. The readout from fifteen years ago was the exact same one on the monitors above.

"My God," he whispered.

"I thought all the data from that day had been lost," Vivienne said.

"We've found it," Serizawa replied. The lights flickered off and on, with the entire facility shaking around them.

"There it is!" Joe shouted wildly. "All those years ago!" Coulson rose from his chair and exited the room.

"Sir, these records!" Vivienne said. "They're the same!" Coulson pointed at the two agents from before.

"Keep that man here!" he shouted. "He might know more! Come on, you two!" Coulson hurried Vivienne and Serizawa along.

* * *

Loki was channeling all the energy he could muster out of his scepter into the rift. His old scepter was in possession of SHIELD, and a replacement was forged to aid in recovering the Tesseract. It took a great deal of resources to forge the replacement, but Loki had his prize. The Other and his master watched the power hungry man manipulate the vortex he was constructing.

"You take too long," the Other said.

"The Tesseract is being secured by something," he said through his teeth, straining to punch through the rift. "Something prevents me from accessing its energy. It's weakening, though."

"It seems the humans have made great strides in their technology since your defeat," the Other said.

"No matter," Loki hissed. "They are still weak feeble minded fools to be conquered. The humans do not suspect us at all. Once we sweep in and steal the Tesseract back, the cycle shall start over. And this time, I will not fail."

"You should hope not," the Other said. "Or the consequences will be severe."

"I wish to see these Avengers in action for myself," his master said. "When you are able to force the rift open, I shall accompany you to the human world. I look forward to doing battle with Earth's mightiest." Loki grinned with anticipation.

"It would be an honor to do battle alongside you. My brother will not be prepared for our combined might."

* * *

The night sky twinkled with the lights of thousands of suns. The void seemed to stretch on for eternity. As Thor drifted through the cool quiet air, he stared up lovingly at the star that was Asgard. But those nostalgic thoughts of home did not last long, soon replaced by those of doubt and paranoia. Maddening whispers slithered in the back of his skull in his dreams and inner thoughts back home. Something had not been right, yet it did not make sense to him. Loki had died a warrior's death and had been redeemed in the eyes of Odin and himself. Despite this, he was still plagued with negativity. There were terrible goings on in the shadows of Asgard, but there was nowhere Thor could turn to.

His immediate worry was for the Tesseract. If there was evil afoot in Asgard, the Tesseract would be a prime target. The mighty hammer wielder stole it away in the dead of night and sent it to Earth, right into the arms of SHIELD. If Nick Fury believed him to be paranoid, he did not question it. Thor had expected this, though. SHIELD would utilize any chance available to get their hands on the Tesseract and any other extraterrestrial technology. Thor had always remained wary of Nick Fury and his motives, but he knew of no one else to turn to. Fury swore up and down that the Tesseract was not being used to create weapons, but Thor held those words in little regard. Yet, oddly enough, Fury had been true to his word. The Asgardian made routine checkups on the facility in Janjira but found nothing incriminating. The Tesseract was being used as a power source for studying and containing this thing called "MUTO". The black and red rock-like construct, although highly unusual to behold, did not look like any weapon he had ever seen.

It was much later than usual for Thor to show up, but he figured SHIELD could do with a surprise inspection. He flew through the dilapidated and abandoned city to reach the Janjira power plant. The faint sound of alarms reached his ears, and faint red flashing lights could be seen from the ruins. The Asgardian rocketed towards the site, sliding to a halt when he hit the ground. SHIELD agents were running all over the place. Alarms were blaring as loudly as possible. Thor made his way to where the Tesseract was being kept, only to find Nick Fury and various others surrounding it. SHIELD agents had their guns pointed at it, anticipating anything that would emerge from it. Coulson, Maria Hill, Professor Selvig, Doctor Serizawa, and Vivienne were gathered around.

"You picked a hell of a time for a checkup," Fury said.

"Thor!" Professor Selvig said enthusiastically. The Asgardian approached him and shook his hand. "Wish your visit was much more pleasant, son."

"Pray tell," Thor said. "What is happening with the Tesseract?"

"It's acting up again," Coulson said.

"Again?" Thor asked.

"The Tesseract seems to be interacting with the MUTO," Agent Hill said. "Power fluctuations are occurring like crazy around here, and the MUTO is getting agitated."

"Agitated?" Thor said. He turned to look at the giant construct, which was flashing red on its underside. "Exactly what is happening?"

"We don't know," Serizawa said.

"We believe that somebody may be interacting with the Tesseract from the other side," Fury said.

"Loki?" Vivienne asked.

"No," Thor said. "Loki is dead. He died a warrior's death."

"Supposedly," Fury said.

"You told me you had it secured," Thor said. "That what happened at your headquarters would not be repeated." To avoid another surprise like the one with Loki back in 2012, SHIELD developed a device that would limit the Tesseract's power. The device was lined with a synthetic vibranium that prevented anything unregulated from being released. It contained any burst of energy, whether it was a random anomaly or purposeful manipulation. However, the synthetic vibranium was imperfect. It wore down incredibly quickly, and the parts had to be replaced routinely.

"The parts are being delivered here as we speak," Fury explained. "All you need to worry about is making sure the shield doesn't fall." The large fixture pulsed red, and a huge shockwave burst from it. A large shield manifested from the Tesseract's energy had it surrounded, and the blast was contained.

"What is that?" Thor asked.

"Electromagnetic pulse," Fury said. "Surprised the hell out of us the first time we started testing. Knocked out all our tech. We were blind out here. The Tesseract allowed us to be able to run our facility better and keep the MUTO's tantrums under control."

"Tantrums?"

"They were occasional, but they were hell to deal with," Fury said. The MUTO fed on nuclear energy. The Janjira power plant had been reconstructed partially to keep the MUTO alive, but it consumed more than was produced. The Tesseract solved this problem. By acting as a renewable energy source, it was able to take care of the MUTO. "But recently, they've picked up. Our machine has had to work overtime, and the parts have needed to be replaced much quicker. And we have very small time windows."

"And the Tesseract has been acting up as well?" Thor asked. He got a nod from Fury. "So that means someone is on the other side, manipulating energy."

"Do you have any idea who could be behind it?" Coulson asked.

"Perhaps the being who provided Loki his army of Chitauri back when we did battle in New York," Thor guessed. "Selvig, exactly what is this MUTO you have been researching?"

"All we know for certain is that it's organic," he said. "And from Earth. As far as what exactly it is, we have no clue." Another EMP blast erupted from the fixture, which was contained by the shield. The Tesseract had an eruption of its own, sending some agents staggering to their feet. Blue sparks began to leap from the cube, eating through the faux-Vibranium. It unleashed another burst, sending countless parts flying. Most of the device had been dissolved from the energy. The Tesseract was now exposed and going wild. The SHIELD agents had their guns pointed in its direction still, willing to fire at the first thing to emerge.

"Where are those parts?" Fury shouted over the radio. "We need them ASAP."

"They're on their way, sir," an agent replied. A heavy metal door slid open, and a truck thrust itself through the opening. Dozens of huge parts were being carried on the back, which were being unloaded. A crew of engineers had climbed out of the truck and were scrambling as fast as they could to gather everything.

"I want that cube secured immediately," Fury shouted. "Double time, people!" A huge shockwave burst from the Tesseract, sending the engineers that were beginning to surround it flying. A beam of energy leapt from the cube and widened into a large swirling portal. Fury, Hill, and Coulson drew their pistols and pointed them at the portal. Thor spun his hammer in his hand rapidly.

"Get back," he warned. Serizawa and Vivienne were escorted behind the wall of agents. The random swirling blue began to clear, and a black void could be seen through it. White dots marked stars that twinkled in the distance. The portal collapsed into a huge shockwave, sending them all staggering. Two figures manifested out of the blue swirling energy. One wore a black trenchcoat with gold trimming over a black bodysuit. He had long black hair that descended down to his shoulders. The other was a much larger brute. He stood as tall as Thor. He had purple skin and glowing blue eyes. His outfit consisted of a blue bodysuit with a gold belt, gauntlets, and a neck collar. They all immediately recognized the former.

"Loki!" Thor bellowed.

"Brother!" Loki replied enthusiastically, his arms outstretched. "It's been a while, hasn't it?"

"I thought you had died," Thor growled. "I told Odin you died a hero's death."

"All part of my plan," he gloated. "And you fell for it, in typical fashion. Although, you certainly had the upper hand on me when you stole the Tesseract. I'll admit I did not anticipate that." He looked at the others at Thor's side. "Agent Coulson?" Phil raised his gun, which received a brief laugh from Loki. "Well, this IS a surprise. I thought I had killed you."

"Fury had an ace up his sleeve," Coulson said. Loki merely smirked.

"Well, I suppose I'll have to burn all the cards this time around." A small spark of lightning shot out from Mjolnir towards Loki.

"That's NOT going to happen," Thor said. The larger purple brute let out a gruff huff.

"So this is the mighty Thor," he said, his baritone voice resonating with bass. "I admit that I am impressed. You definitely have the look of a warrior about you." Thor gripped his hammer tightly, grimacing at the two.

"So I suppose you're the one responsible for supplying Loki with his Chitauri two years ago," he huffed.

"You would be correct," was his reply.

"Who are you?" Thor asked. The large brute cracked his knuckles and neck in sync.

"I am Thanos," he stated. "And I have come here to do battle with these Avengers I have been told of." He looked at the others surrounding them. "I severely hope these are not they." Loki had slunk behind Thanos towards the Tesseract.

"We're SHIELD," Fury said. "And you're trespassing." Thanos let out a brief chuckle.

"Heh," he said. "Yes, I have been told of you. As much as it will be to slaughter you weak humans, my real quarrel is with the Avengers."

"If it's a fight you want, you shall receive one," Thor said.

"Excellent," Thanos growled. "EXCELLENT!" The sound of crackling energy interrupted his thoughts. He turned to see Loki attempting to remove the Tesseract. "Not yet. I wish to fight first."

"I am not here to entertain your flights of fancy," Loki spat, pulling at the cube. "Let us retrieve the Tesseract and continue with our plan." Thanos locked his jaw in frustration.

"You would do well to watch your tone with-"

"NO!" a voice shouted. Serizawa burst from the crowd and ran towards Loki. Thanos watched the small Japanese man approach the Jotun. "Do not remove it!" Loki was stupefied.

"You are quite bold to order me," he said, turning to face the Japanese man. "What will you do to stop me? You cannot protect it." Loki's head was dead center in the crosshairs. High in his tower, Barton had his eye trained on him.

"I'm trying to protect you from IT," Serizawa stated. Loki let out an amused laugh, turning back towards the Tesseract.

"I have no need to fear the Tesseract," he gloated.

"I wasn't talking about the Tesseract," Serizawa said. Loki's expression turned to one of intrigue. He turned back towards the scientist.

"And what, pray tell, did you mean?" Serizawa pointed to the large black construct in the center of the facility. Thanos and Loki stared at it in wonder. "Another new toy for the humans, huh? Well, then. Let's see how it fares when I wean it." The Jotun, with incredible force, ripped the Tesseract from what was left of the device.

"You fool!" Serizawa shouted. All the lights in the facility faded, cloaking the base in darkness. A few seconds later, the emergency generator re-illuminated the area. A loud thumping sound echoed from the construct. The red underside began to flash faster and faster until a wave of energy burst forth. The facility darkened as quickly as it had lightened. Natasha was knocked to the ground by the force of the blast.

"Barton, how are thing on your end?" she asked into the radio. The silence she received unnerved her. "Clint?" Still no answer. She switched to another channel. "Fury, Barton isn't responding." Natasha got the same response from him. "Fury, please respond."

Clint looked at his bow in confusion. The red readout on his scope just disappeared. He reprimed it, but it didn't come back on. The selector and transmitter weren't working either. "Natasha, something's wrong with my bow. That blast did something to it." He frowned when he didn't receive an answer right away. "Natasha, did you hear me?" Silence. Barton felt the ground shake and grabbed onto the guard rail for balance. The ground beneath all their feet rumbled.

"Agents Barton and Romanoff, can you give me a sitrep on the MUTO?" Agent Hill asked. "Agents?" The radio was dead silent.

"EMP blast," Nick Fury said. "We're blind out here." Loki smiled nefariously.

"Oh, did I do that?" he asked, feigning innocence. The ground rumbled once more, much more violently this time. He held the Tesseract in his hands, rubbing his fingers along the surface. It tingled to the touch. Loki stared into the deep glowing blue of the cube, mesmerized by it. His thoughts were soon taken from him by a noise unlike anything he had ever heard before.

It was a low chirping sound with deep bass filled clicks. It almost sounded like a bird but nothing like anything any of them knew of.

"_Vrrrrr-rr-rr-rr-rr-rr-rr-rr…"_

Serizawa slowly turned back towards the black and red fixture at the center. It came from the construct.

From inside.

"Oh God," he whispered. Loki peered at it with an inquisitive look on his face. The ground rumbled again, even more violently than before. It was quickly followed by a huge explosion from the rocky fixture. Dust dashed through the air, and huge chunks of rock hurtled everywhere.

"Jesus!" Clint said, hanging on to the guard rail as best as he could. The SHIELD agents aimed their guns at the rocky fixture. That eerie call echoed out from the enormous hole in the fixture. A tall silhouette could barely be made out through the clouds of dust. Loud resounding thuds rang out through the darkened facility. Above all the dust, Clint could see something emerging from the construct. "What the hell…"

It was an incredibly tall and lanky creature, its full body free from the fixture. Two long arms that curved at the tips touched down onto the metal ground. The back of them glowed red. Its back legs were muscular and had reptilian-like toes on its feet. A scrawny pair of arms with gangly hands at the end hung from the creature's torso. A huge pair of wings hung down its back like a cape. It had a triangular head with sharp pointed mandibles. Two long glowing red lines going along the side of its head. They seemed to act as its eyes. The creature tore the fence that surrounded it down, peering through the dust at the base around it.

"Impressive," Thanos muttered. The creature let out a warbled screech, stretching its wings out. It had an impressive wingspan to match its already impressive size. An idea came to Loki. He walked past Thanos and towards the creature. It peered down at him.

"Listen well, creature," he shouted, holding the Tesseract in his hand towards it. "I am Loki of Asgard. You shall obey me through the power of the Tesseract." He clutched it firmly in his hand, feeling the energy channeling within it. "You will obey me! Obey. Obey!" The creature hissed at him. "Obey me! I hold the Tesseract. Your will is mine! OBEY!" It let out an irritated screech. The creature raised its walking forelimb back and swung it right into Loki's side. The Jotun flew through the air and crashed into the metal wall with intense force. The Tesseract clattered to the floor in front of the creature, lost from Loki's grip.

"Fire!" Fury shouted. "Fire at the MUTO!" SHIELD forces began to pepper the MUTO with a barrage of bullets. The feeling of the bullets pinching its skin annoyed it greatly. It felt pinching in its left shoulder. The MUTO turned to see two arrows sticking out of it. It snapped them in half and spat them out, looking up at the tiny human in the tower. The MUTO raised its forelimbs and slammed them into the tower, trying to pull it down. The tower doubled over, threatening to topple over. Clint was hanging onto the guard rail over the MUTO, who peered up at him snarling.

"Clint!" Natasha shouted. Quick as a flash, she withdrew a flare gun tucked in her boot and fired into the air. The bright red flash caught the attention of the MUTO, who completely forgot about Clint. The flare hit the ground and fizzled. The MUTO lowered its head to meet the glowing flare, sniffing it. Clint's was holding his bow with one hand, and the other hand gripping the rail was weakening. His strength was ebbing away. He suddenly felt himself swept up by someone. Thor had him and placed him gently onto the ground.

"Thanks for the save, big guy," he said. Thor nodded at him but was then knocked to the ground by Thanos. He had leapt upon him, giving in to his desire to do battle.

"A fitting time for battle, don't you think?" he asked.

"Don't be a fool!" Thor grunted, pushing Thanos off of him. The tower Clint had been hanging on was knocked over, as the MUTO was approaching them. Thanos turned to face the creature, standing alongside Thor.

"It's to be a three way battle, then," he mused. "Excellent." With that, Thanos leapt towards the MUTO and delivered a powerful punch to its forehead. The creature screeched with pain and swatted at him, sending him crashing into the ground. The MUTO slammed its forelimb into Thanos repeatedly. Spinning his hammer, Thor rocketed for its head. He made direct contact with its cheek at breakneck speeds, sending the MUTO staggering. It shook its head and hissed at the mighty Asgardian. In retaliation, the MUTO swiped at him. The blow was more powerful than Thor had anticipated and sent him crashing straight through a wall.

The thumping of helicopter propellers turned the MUTO's attention to the sky. The attack choppers began to open fire on the creature. It began to climb the side of the facility, snapping the cables that covered the opening in the roof. They swung through the air towards the ground, making loud twangs.

"Everybody out!" Fury ordered. The staff was now fleeing the facility in droves, trying to escape the collapsing building. The MUTO had cut down enough of the cables to be able to get to the choppers. It leapt into the air and swung at the two of them. They exploded from the force of the swipes. The MUTO landed back onto the ground with a booming thud. It let out a victorious snarl. The blue glow of the Tesseract caught its attention. The MUTO stared at it curiously. Thor rose to his feet, battered and bruised, to witness the MUTO grasp the Tesseract with its small hands. It climbed through the opening in the roof and flapped its wings, causing enormous gusts of wind to kick up. It started gliding through the air out towards the sea.

"You will not escape so easily!" Thor shouted. The Asgardian leapt through the air, flying after the MUTO like a fighter jet. Thor had to struggle to keep up with the creature. Mjolnir crackled in his fist with electrical fury. Storm clouds began to manifest themselves around the two, darkening the skies further. The MUTO looked around, confused as to where the clouds had emerged from. Thor pointed Mjolnir at it, and a bolt of lightning speared the giant beast. The MUTO cried out in pain but still remained airborne. It folded its wings slightly and dove for the ocean below them. Thor flew after it, hot on its heels. The MUTO extended its wings and flew upwards at an angle towards the clouds. An enormous field of clouds stretched through the skies, making it nearly impossible to see. Thor burst through the clouds at an incredible speed, hot on the trail of the MUTO. He passed through a rather dark and thick cloud only to find himself in an isolated clearing. Thor looked all around him but did not spot the creature. Despite his best efforts, it had given him the slip in a brief second. Enraged, he lifted Mjolnir, causing the clouds to light up as bright as the sun with lightning. His arm fell to his side, Mjolnir just hanging there. The Asgardian was breathing heavily, infuriated at the prospect of losing the Tesseract. A loud cry interrupted his thoughts. He looked up above and saw the MUTO divebombing right towards him. It slammed into him with incredible force, sending him plummeting into the ocean. Mjolnir was knocked from his grip and hit the water with a loud splash, which was followed by the sound of Thor hitting the water. The MUTO flapped its wings and lifted itself above the clouds Thor had conjured. The creature flew over the never ending mass of water, determined to fly as far as its wings would allow it to.

* * *

Tony was sitting in his workshop, looking over some design modifications he was planning for the tower. He had taken a break from the mystery surrounding Janjira, having felt defeated by not making any new headway with it. The tower had been empty, save for him, all day. He wondered what everyone else was up to.

"JARVIS, pull up the map, please," he said.

"Certainly, sir," the AI replied. A holographic projection of the Earth popped up before him. Tony had designed personal Avengers communicators for all of them, in the event that a situation like what happened in New York ever occurred again. He had markers for himself, Bruce, and Steve. He furrowed his brow when he only saw three of the six.

"JARVIS, where's Thor?" he asked.

"Unknown, sir," was the reply.

"Maybe he took a trip back to Asgard." Tony took a sip of water. "Now, where are Barton and Natasha?"

"Also unknown, sir," JARVIS said. Tony scratched his head in confusion.

"Can I get a last known location for everybody?" he asked. Three markers appeared on the radar for Thor, Natasha, and Clint. All converged on one location.

"Janjira, Japan," JARVIS stated. Tony's face froze as he stared at the map with great intensity.

"Why would Thor be there?" he asked himself.

"Unknown, sir," JARVIS said.

"Well, that was more for me, but yeah," Tony said.

"Sir, Doctor Banner in on the line for you." Tony checked his cell phone and saw Bruce on the ID. He tapped a button and held it to his ear.

"Talk to me," he said.

"Have you checked the news?" Bruce asked. "You might find something about your case."

"JARVIS."

"On it, sir." Another holographic display popped up before him. A male newscaster in his mid forties was on camera.

"I'm Steve Martin, and our top story tonight comes out of Japan," he said. "An enormous power outage has plagued the city of Janjira, Japan, with the Japanese government claiming that an earthquake was responsible. Seismologists have reported it to have registered a 6.3, but activity has mostly been limited to the quarantined section of the city."

"Son of a bitch," Tony said. "Bruce, I'm gonna have to call you back."

"Did you find something?" he asked.

"I think I did," he replied. "Listen, I think Thor, Clint, and Natasha might be in trouble."

"What?" Bruce asked. "Tony, what's happening?"

"I'm not sure myself, but I want you to contact Steve and tell him to be on standby."

"Tony, I don't understand-"

"Just do this for me," he said. He heard a sigh from Banner's end.

"Alright," Bruce said. "If you need backup from Steve or... the big green guy, don't hesitate to call."

"If I'm wrong, then I hopefully won't need any," Tony said.

"Whatever you're planning, just be careful," Bruce warned.

"I'll try my best," Tony said, hanging up. "JARVIS, suit up." He made his way to the balcony.

"Suit primed and ready, sir," he replied. The latest Iron Man suit variant was on full display, with the red and gold shining in the light from the stars. "Shall I leave a note for Miss Potts telling her you'll be out?" Tony climbed into the suit, all the parts clicking into place.

"May as well," he said. The HUD came on display inside the helmet. "Mark Janjira on the map." A holographic projection of the Earth came up, and a marker was pinned on Janjira. The thrusters in the boots kicked on, and Tony torpedoed his way towards Japan.

* * *

**Edit 7/22/14: Added dialogue with Joe Brody**


	5. Janjira Aftermath

The sun had peaked up over the horizon, warming up the land with its presence in the sky. The sight was tranquil and beautiful to behold, yet no one was around to witness the poetry of nature. The quarantined section of Janjira was as empty as it had been for years. An enormous and sprawling section of the city, devoid of any and all activity. Ivy had taken root on many of the buildings. Dust had swept through the unkempt streets and dilapidated houses. It was an eerie sight, seeing a large metropolis so empty. Wild dogs and deer would occasionally wander through but never stuck around for long. Nature was slowly reclaiming these lands, but the local fauna still kept their distance. Perhaps they were haunted by the ghosts of humanity. A crane was foot deep in a small pond, peering down into the murky waters. Its sharp eyes searched for any potential movement within. A whooshing sound overhead diverted its attention. The crane gazed up at a red and gold metallic humanoid flying through the air at incredible speeds.

Tony flew through the quarantine zone and took in the sight of the abandoned city. It was much different than anything he was used to.

"Jesus," he muttered to himself. "I bet some of these people didn't even have time to pack." Kids forced to leave toys behind. Parents having to leave behind old family photos. Hard working men and women abandoning their livelihoods, their homes, their cars and pets. Everything they had worked to achieve for all their lives. Tony shook his head to rid himself of such thoughts. "Dammit." He glanced through the HUD on the inside of his helmet, looking for the Geiger counter. The quarantine zone was highly radioactive due to the massive amount of fallout from the nuclear facility. There was not even a click on it. "JARVIS, refresh the Geiger counter." It blinked off and then came back into view. Nothing had changed.

"Still reading zero, sir," JARVIS stated.

"And you're sure it's not an error on your end?" Tony asked. "I mean, don't be ashamed to admit it. It happens. Performance issues…"

"It was you who programmed me, sir," JARVIS stated.

"Right answer," he said. "So that means that either Monarch is really good at their job, or there was no radiation leak."

"Sir, I'm detecting airborne signals across the water," JARVIS said. "To your left." Tony swung around a caved in tower and spotted helicopters circling what was left of the nuclear power plant. He began to fly over towards the plant, ready to find out answers.

"Director Fury!" Maria Hill said, pointing at an object that was quickly approaching them. She spoke into her radio. "Unknown bogey."

"At ease, Agent Hill," Fury said. "It's Stark." The red and gold metallic suit landed before them with a thud. The faceplate folded back, revealing Tony Stark's all too familiar face.

"Sorry to pop in unannounced," Tony said. "Didn't get an invitation."

"Come on, big guy," a voice said. Tony turned around to see Thor leaning on Phil Coulson as the two of them walked towards the group. Thor slumped down and leaned against a crushed car.

"Thank you," he huffed. Phil stretched his back muscles, feeling tense from helping the Asgardian back. Tony walked over to Thor and leaned down towards him. "Stark. Nice to see you."

"I'm sure it is, pal," Tony said. Thor cracked his sore neck. "You look in rough shape."

"I feel worse than I look," Thor said with a groan.

"What the hell happened?" Tony asked.

"Loki happened," he growled. Tony looked confused.

"I thought you said he died fighting."

"More of his tricks," Thor sighed. He stretched his back, trying to rid the feeling of stiffness that plagued his body. "And he has brought an ally. A being that calls himself "Thanos". He gave Loki his Chitauri."

"That's bad," Tony said. "So he's planning a repeat performance of last time, then?"

"I'm not sure," Thor said, holding his side in pain. "As of right now, he is not my primary concern." Tony looked at him in shock.

"There's a twist," he said. "What's a bigger concern than Loki?"

"This MUTO." Tony grew tense. "You know of it?"

"I came across it when I was doing research," he half lied.

"Thor," a female voice called. Tony looked over his shoulder to see Natasha walking towards them with Clint in tow. "Stark."

"Thanks for the warm welcome," Tony said dryly. Natasha ignored him.

"We found no sign of Loki," she said.

"Or Thanos," Clint added. Thor punched the dirt in frustration.

"Damn," he said, sighing. As much as he wanted to bring Loki to justice, he was a little relieved to not have found his body. "And the Tesseract?" Tony whipped his head to look back at Thor.

"Tesseract?" he asked.

"We've got the whole crew the Helicarrier searching for it," Agent Hill said. "We're bringing in Doctor Banner for assistance."

"Why is the Tesseract here?" Tony asked. "I thought you had it locked away back on Asgard."

"I did," Thor said. "I was plagued by horrible visions and nightmares. Whisperings of evil doings in Asgard. I worried for the safety of my home and Midgard, so I stole the Tesseract in the dead of night and entrusted it to SHIELD. Who I had hoped could keep it safe."

"And who has it now?" Tony asked.

"The MUTO," Fury stated. Now, Tony was really confused.

"What the hell is "the MUTO", and what does it want with the Tesseract?" he asked.

"The Tesseract is a source of radiation, even if at small levels, and the MUTO feeds on radiation," Natasha explained.

"Perhaps it wanted some for the road," Clint said.

"I still have no clue what this "MUTO" is," Tony said, with obvious irritation.

"Yeah, get in line," Clint said.

"You'll all be debriefed soon," a voice said. They all turned to see an older man with gray hair in a blue military uniform. Standing beside him was an African American man with a bald head. He wore a similar uniform. "Rear Admiral William Stenz. This is Captain Russell Hampton. United States Navy."

"This must be pretty serious for the boys in blue to get involved," Tony said.

"More than you know, Mr. Stark," Admiral Stenz stated. "This MUTO is the single greatest threat to this planet right now. Even greater than this Loki and Thanos. Monarch will debrief you on the nature of this MUTO when you've all been assembled."

"We'll be collaborating with the United States military to help secure the MUTO and the Tesseract," Fury said.

"Huh," Tony said. "SHIELD playing nice with others. I'd never thought I'd see that."

"Whether you believe it or not, Mr. Stark, SHIELD is willing to play fastball with others if the world is at stake," Fury said. "Whatever it takes."

"Mr. Stark, I've taken the liberty of having one of our own assigned to your squad," Admiral Stenz said.

"Another soldier?" Tony asked. "Can he keep up with the Cap?"

"I believe so," Admiral Stenz replied. "You're already quite familiar with him." The sound of rockets resonated through the air. "Here he is now." A metallic figure descended from the sky and landed before them. The figure was a suit of armor nearly identical to Tony Stark's. The chestplate was blue with a white star at the center. Blue lined the boots and shoulders. Red and white trim were around the knees, abs, forearms, and hands. A large ballistic cannon was mounted on the upper back. The faceplate folded back to reveal the face of an African American male.

"Rhodey?" Tony asked. Standing before them was none other than Colonel James Rhodes, better known as the Iron Patriot. He stood at attention and saluted Admiral Stenz and Captain Hampton, who promptly saluted him back. Rhodey turned around and shook Tony's hand, bringing him in for a hug.

"It's been a while, Tony," he said, smiling. "Wish we could've met under better circumstances, though."

"No kidding, pal," Tony said. "But it's good to see you. I didn't know you were working with the navy now."

"The commander-in-chief appointed me personally to this," Rhodey said. "With strong recommendations from Admiral Stenz and Captain Hampton." A voice came over the radio.

"Sir, the other Avengers have arrived," it said.

"Roger that," Fury responded. "Let's take this on the road." Tony followed the others before turning his attention to various bodies strapped into stretchers and being placed into the backs of ambulances. One body in particular stole his attention completely.

"Wait!" he shouted and ran towards the paramedics loading the body. "Who is that?"

"That's Joe Brody," Coulson said, walking up behind Tony. "I believe you're familiar with him."

"No vital signs detected, sir," JARVIS stated, displaying Joe's heart rate as flatlining.

"What was he doing here?" Tony asked.

"He snuck in again," Coulson said. "He was killed trying to escape the MUTO." Tony looked down at the bloodied head of the old man.

"He had a son," Tony said softly. In his anger, he punched the back door of the ambulance, leaving a sizable dent in it. "Why didn't you just go home like I told you to? Dammit!" Tony rested his head on his hand, distraught at what happened to Joe.

"Some people can't leave the truth behind, Stark," Coulson said somberly. "Even if it's better for them."

* * *

The rocks smashed into dozens of tiny pieces. Loki was lying on the ground amongst the dirt, his body in pain.

"You fool!" Thanos shouted. "You've set us back! And, worse, deprived me of my battle!"

"I'm not here to watch you fight," Loki spat. The two of them had used the remaining energy manifested in Loki's scepter to teleport away from Janjira. They were standing on a small island in the middle of the ocean. "If it wasn't for my interference, the humans would still have the Tesseract!"

"If it wasn't for your interference, WE would have the Tesseract!" he spat back. Thanos punched a tree, causing it to burst into thousands of splinters. He rubbed his forehead and let out a heavy sigh. "The only comfort I can take from this is that many of those humans died in that creature's rampage."

"I don't understand," Loki said, sitting on the ground. "That creature should have bent to my will. I had the Tesseract."

"The Tesseract requires a strong mind and a stronger sense of control," Thanos said. "Yours were not strong enough to tame it."

"Pah!" Loki scoffed. "And you believe yourself superior?"

"I don't need to believe," Thanos boasted. "I know."

"Is that so?" Loki growled.

"Where would you be without my army?" Loki locked his jaw in anger, having found himself bested by the brute. "Exactly."

"Well, your army will do us no good currently," Loki said. "Until we can harvest more energy to refuel the scepter, we're both trapped on this planet."

"Trapped?" Thanos mused. "Hah! "Isolated" maybe. But far from "trapped". There is truth in your words, however. Until we can retrieve the Tesseract, our options are limited."

"What do you propose?" Loki asked.

"We will wait and watch the humans now," Thanos said. "Use your sorcery to infiltrate their ranks and walk among them. It is the least you can do."

"Oh, well I am so glad to have been given your permission," Loki scoffed. Thanos glared at him with great intensity.

"Watch yourself, boy."

* * *

**Edit 7/22/14: Added dialogue with Joe Brody**


	6. Seven Against One

Tony and Steve shook hands firmly and greeted their fellow Avengers. Everyone had been assembled back on the Helicarrier, which flew high above the sea. Thor embraced Steve tightly.

"It is good to see you again, my friend," he said with much vigor. Steve patted him on the back.

"Good to see you too, pal," he said.

"Well, good to see that you're in a better mood now," Tony said, leaning back against a railing.

"Although Loki, Thanos, and this MUTO trouble me, I cannot deny my high spirits amongst friends and warriors," Thor replied. "Of course, I will feel a great burden lifted from my shoulders when all three are brought to justice."

"That makes two of us," Steve said. Bruce slid over to Tony.

"Well, it looks like I was wrong to doubt you," he said.

"Yeah," Tony said, nodding with a smile. "You were." Bruce let out an amused huff of air through his nose.

"You could at least pretend to be humble," he said.

"Yeah, but where's the fun in that?" Tony asked. The automatic doors slid open behind them, and Admiral Stenz and Captain Hampton entered with Rhodey behind them. Steve stood at attention and saluted.

"At ease, soldier," Admiral Stenz said. They all lined up before the two of them. Steve, Thor, Clint, Natasha, Tony, and Bruce. Admiral Stenz paced slowly left to right before them. "Some of you have already been acquainted with me. Others have not. I am Rear Admiral William Stenz of the United States Navy. This is Captain Russell Hampton, also of the United States Navy." He saluted. "I was overseas when I heard about the battle you waged against Loki in New York. The Avengers were definitely a fighting force this world needed, and it is an honor to be working alongside each and every one of you." Admiral Stenz saluted them. He took a few slow steps towards Steve. "Captain Steve Rogers," he said slowly.

"Sir," Steve responded. Admiral Stenz saluted him.

"It is an enormous honor to meet you, sir," Admiral Stenz said. "You are an inspiration to each and every one of us and the ideal model soldier."

"I'm just a soldier like everyone else, sir," Steve said. "I may have a super serum in me, but I clean and press my uniform like every other patriot."

"My grandson wants to become just like you one day," Admiral Stenz said.

"I'm sure he'll make the boys in blue proud, sir," Steve said. Admiral Stenz extended his hand to Steve, who promptly shook it. A firm handshake between old soldiers. He made his way over to Thor. His steely eyes gazed at the Asgardian.

"I understand that this Loki is your brother," Admiral Stenz said. He nodded. "I know that this can't be easy for you, son."

"While Loki will always be my brother in my heart, I will not let that distract me from our mission," Thor stated. "Loki must be stopped, no matter the cost." The two locked eyes.

"Exactly how far would you be willing to go to stop him, son?" he asked.

"I will not sacrifice the lives of innocents, if that is what you imply," Thor stated.

"There may be a scenario where that might not be possible."

"Perhaps. But until then…" Admiral Stenz nodded. Clint was next.

"Agent Barton," he said. "You've got a hell of a firing arm, son."

"Thank you, sir," Clint replied. Admiral Stenz peered into his eyes.

"It's come to my attention that Loki had indoctrinated you to aid in his efforts to obtain the Tesseract."

"That is correct, sir," Clint said. Admiral Stenz furrowed his brow.

"That makes me a bit suspicious, soldier," he said. "I wonder. Is he still in there somewhere? Is he listening in on us? Right now?" Natasha glanced at Clint from her peripheral, hiding the worry in her eyes. "For all I know, you could be the weak link. And I can't deal with a weak link-"

"Permission to speak, sir," Natasha interrupted. The others turned to look at her.

"Natasha-"

"Permission granted," Admiral Stenz said.

"I understand that you hold Agent Barton with some degree of suspicion, but he is one of the most capable people I know. He is a loyal agent through and through. I would trust him with my life. You have absolutely nothing to fear from him, sir." A silence filled the room. Natasha let out a heavy sigh. Admiral Stenz was nodding slowly.

"Very well," he said. He turned back to Clint. "No hard feelings, Agent Barton. Just grilling you, son. I trust you, and I take Agent Romanoff's testimony to heart. Can't be too sure, son."

"No hard feeling, sir," Clint said. "Sometimes I'm not sure myself." Admiral Stenz merely nodded and proceeded to Natasha.

"Agent Romanoff," he said. "I've read your file. You have quite a comprehensive history on your hands."

"And a lot of blood on my ledger, too," she said.

"Don't we all?" he asked.

"Mine is riddled with blood," Natasha said. "I'd like to wipe some away."

"A noble effort, but some stains can never be washed out."

"That doesn't mean I shouldn't try. Admiral Stenz was silent for a moment before slowly nodding.

"You don't seem like the conventional recruit for a team like the Avengers," he continued. "You're not a soldier. But maybe that's an advantage. For a team like this, we need more than just soldiers. You held your own in New York pretty damn good."

"Thank you, sir," she said. Next was none other than Tony Stark. He stood there, casually eating a bag of blueberries.

"Mister Tony Stark," Admiral Stenz said, analyzing him.

"Yep," was his casual reply. He held the bag out for him. "Blueberry?" Admiral Stenz glanced down at it before taking out out of the bag. He popped it in his mouth and chewed it.

"It's unfortunate that you're no longer in the weapons manufacturing business," he said. "It's a shame. We could use that firepower against the MUTO."

"With all due respect, sir, the weapons I made to protect people were instead being used to do greater harm. I didn't want that to be my life anymore." Admiral Stenz nodded once more.

"I can understand that," he said, taking another blueberry. "Instead, you built yourself an Iron Man suit. I respect your decision, Mr. Stark, but a Jericho warhead would be instrumental in this fight." He finally came over to Bruce. "Doctor Banner."

"Sir?" he asked. Admiral Stenz looked into his eyes searchingly. "If you're trying to find the other guy, it doesn't work like that. You won't need to worry about me, sir. I've got a tight lid on him."

"If the going gets tough, we may need you to loosen up that lid, son," he said.

"Only if necessary," was Bruce's reply. Admiral Stenz stepped back towards Rhodey and Captain Hamilton.

"I'm sure some of you are familiar with Colonel James Rhodes," he said. "Better known as the Iron Patriot." Rhodey saluted them all, which Steve returned.

"Captain Rogers," Rhodey said. "It's an honor to meet you, sir. You are an inspiration."

"You're an inspiration yourself, Colonel," Steve replied. "The Iron Patriot. Love the colors." Rhodey smiled, and Tony rolled his eyes. A voice came over the intercom.

"Admiral Stenz, we may have possibly located the MUTO." Agent Hill was speaking. "Please come up to the bridge."

"Alright, people," Admiral Stenz said. "Mobilize!" They all filed in after him and proceeded to the bridge.

"Hear that?" Rhodey asked. "The Captain says he likes the Iron Patriot."

"Well, I can't imagine why," Tony said flatly.

* * *

The crew had gathered on the bridge, staring through the enormous window at the island down in the water. It was a small plateau off the coast of the Solomon Islands. A geographical anomaly out in the blue void. A large hole was in the middle of it, surrounded by lush trees and ferns. Three US battleships were surrounding the plateau. The sun was nowhere to be found, the weather dominated by gray clouds.

"We're detecting radiation waves coming from within that hole," Serizawa said. "We believe the MUTO resides within."

"What the hell…" Rhodey said in disbelief. "This MUTO must be huge." Thor leaned in close.

"You have no idea," he said. Vivienne was watching the plateau with Serizawa.

"Sensei, do you think it's him?" she asked quietly.

"No," he said. "It doesn't match the patterns." Clint overheard their conversation and seemed confused. He leaned over to Tony.

"D'you hear those two?" he whispered.

"No. What?" Tony asked.

"Graham asked Serizawa if he thought it was "him", and he said it didn't fit the patterns," Clint explained. Now, Tony looked as confused as Clint did.

"Who's "him"? And what patterns?"

"I got no clue," Clint said. "Seems like these Monarch guys know more than they let on. Keep an eye on 'em."

"We still haven't been told what exactly this MUTO is," Steve said.

"It's big," Natasha said.

"It's ugly," Clint added.

"And it's powerful," Thor said.

"What exactly is our mission statement?" Clint asked.

"You will be sent down to the plateau to retrieve the Tesseract from the MUTO," Fury said. "You will have naval support and long range support from the Helicarrier."

"So we're to head down and fight it?" Thor asked.

"Works for me," Tony said. "Let's go."

"Hold on, Tony," Rhodey said. "We don't even know what we're up against."

"I do," Natasha said. "Sir, with all due respect, the MUTO manages to beat Thor."

"But Thor won't be fighting alone this time," Fury said. "And in an open space with no distractions. With so many of you and our covering fire, the MUTO won't get off so easily this time." Thor was still a bit unsure about this plan. Yet, there were no other alternatives.

"Very well," Thor said. "I shall do battle against the beast. To restore my honor and defend this Earth."

"I'm in," Clint said. "I'm squashin' that bug."

"That goes for me too," Natasha said.

"Looks like there's gonna be two Iron Men on the scene," Tony said, bumping fists with Rhodey.

"It's time to see what this MUTO is made of," Steve said.

"Count me in," Bruce added. The others turned to him in shock.

"Doctor Banner, are you sure about this?" Steve asked.

"Not really," he said. "But we're gonna need all the help we can get. The big guy has your back."

"Sweet!" Tony said. "Return of the lean, mean, green machine."

"Tony," Rhodey said.

"Don't ruin it," Tony replied.

"Alright, troops," Steve said. "Suit up! It's time for a bug hunt!"

Tony and Rhodey climbed into their suits, the power levels reading optimum. Natasha and Clint primed their weapons, stocking double amounts of ammunition and plenty of grenades. Thor clutched Mjolnir in his fist, feeling the static crackle between his fingers. Steve donned the red, white, and blue uniform and slung the shield over his back. Bruce merely stood on the flight deck of the Helicarrier, looking over the ever expanding water. Iron Man and Iron Patriot lifted off from the Helicarrier like rockets, spirarling towards the plateau. Thor zipped alongside them, hammer out before him. Steve piloted a transport vehicle down with Natasha and Clint in the back.

Bruce's muscles began to twitch. He could feel the adrenaline pumping through his veins. His skin began to turn green, and his muscles inflated to superhuman levels. He became so huge that his clothes began to tear, leaving only his pants mostly intact. Bruce Banner was dormant, now replaced by the Incredible Hulk. With a terrifying roar, the Hulk leapt from the Helicarrier and began falling towards the plateau like a meteor.

The transport had touched down, and the three exited it. Tony, Rhodey, and Thor touched down gently onto the ground beside them. They were all caught offguard when a huge force smashed into the ground beside them. The Hulk stood up tall and shook himself off.

"Hulk here," he barked. The team slowly approached the rim of the hole and stared into the abyss. Natasha removed her flare gun and fired it inside. The flare began to descend faster and faster until it could no longer be seen. Clint let out a whistle.

"That's deep," he said.

"So how are we doing this?" Steve asked.

"We need to flush it out to the surface," Natasha said.

"Why don't we just pop a bomb in the hole?" Tony asked.

"This plateau is too small for explosive ordinance," Thor said. "It would shatter it completely into the water. We might lose the Tesseract. I could channel a bolt of lightning to strike deep within the hole."

"But we don't know how far it goes," Steve said. "This MUTO could've dug a tunnel into the side. You wouldn't be able to hit it."

"Tony and I could fly down into the hole and do recon-"

"RAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHH!" Hulk shouted into the hole. The guttural roar echoed farther and farther down into the black abyss.

"_Vrrrrrr-RAAAAH-AAAAH-AAAAH-AAAAHHH!_" It was a primal warbled screech. Like nothing ever heard before. Almost alien.

"Well, that works," Tony said. The ground began to shake beneath their feet.

"Back!" Thor yelled. The team prepared themselves. Mjolnir sparked and crackled. Tony and Rhodey primed their arsenal. Steve held the Vibranium shield in his hand. The Hulk pounded his chest with fury. Clint had an explosive arrow primed, and Natasha clutched napalm grenades. The sight of an enormous hooked forearm was their first glimpse of the creature. The MUTO lifted its entire body out of the hole, towering over them completely. It hissed at them, looking down with disdain. In its small hands connected to the limbs at the center of its torso was a glowing cube.

"The Tesseract!" Thor shouted.

"Hulk get!" With a roar, the Hulk leapt with incredible force up towards the MUTO. He slammed into it and began pulling on the left arm. The MUTO clutched it tighter in its right hand, determined not to let go. Enraged, the MUTO used its forelimb to swat the Hulk off of it. The Hulk hit the dirt with a thud. A sudden blow to the jaw sent the MUTO staggering. Mjolnir flew back into Thor's hand. The creature reeled in pain as it felt its back being peppered with gunfire. It turned to see Tony and Rhodes hovering above it. With one leap, the MUTO flew into the air and began to chase the two. They circled around the plateau in an attempt to outwit the MUTO, but it was hot on their trail. Its wing tip skimmed the surface of the water.

"How the hell does something get this big?" Rhodey asked.

"You wanna turn around and ask it?" Tony replied. The MUTO slammed itself into the side of the plateau, caught offguard by the barrage of gunfire from the battleships. It cried out in pain and anger as it climbed back to the top. A bolt of lightning singed its brow, causing it to scream once more. Clint shot several arrows into the air and pressed a button on his bow. The arrows doubled as flashbangs and completely disoriented the MUTO. The Hulk pulled on its back foot, causing it to trip. It hit the ground hard, causing some of the rock to crack and crumble. Rhodey unleashed several rockets from the mounted cannon on his back. Natasha lit its skin on fire with some of her napalm grenades. The MUTO began to regain its senses and delivered a swift kick to the Hulk. The green giant was flung from the plateau and crashed into one of the battleships. He staggered to his feet, dizzy from the kick. The Hulk dove in the water and paddled for the plateau. The constant barrage of gunfire and the onslaught from the Avengers wasn't doing much harm to it. It was just making it angry.

Very angry.

With a guttural shriek, it lifted its forelimbs high into the air and slammed them into the ground. An enormous wave of energy shot from its claws and flew outwards. The HUDs in Rhodey and Tony's helmets went off. "Uhh, JARVIS?"

All gunfire had completely stopped, with all three battleships dead in the water. A soldier was running diagnostics on the ship but couldn't reactivate it.

"Lieutenant Brody, what's our situation?" a soldier called out.

"No good!" Brody replied. "I… I think that was an EMP! It knocked out all our circuitry! We're dead in the water here!"

Screams of terror were emanating from within the Helicarrier. It was descending towards the water at an incredibly fast rate. With a loud smack, it made touchdown with the water's surface.

Rhodey and Tony were lying in craters beside one another.

"What the hell happened?" Rhodey asked.

"I think we just fell out of the sky," Tony said. They staggered to their feet and turned around, seeing the MUTO in combat with Thor. Rhodey raised his wrist at the creature but nothing happened.

"Tony, my weapons aren't working," he said. Tony attempted the same thing but got the same result.

"Mine either," he said. "JARVIS, run a diagnostic." The usual snarky voice was nowhere to be heard. "JARVIS." Again, no response. "JARVIS!"

Clint clicked his bow several times but got none of his tech to reactivate.

"Not again!" he cursed. Hulk was slowly scaling the side of the plateau, eager to continue battle with the MUTO. Thor and the MUTO were trading blows, each one stronger than the last. Thor landed a blow with Mjolnir right in the creature's stomach. The Tesseract slipped out of the MUTO's grip, falling for the Earth. Thor dove for the cube, sliding through the dirt and catching it like a baseball.

"Got it!" he yelled victoriously. His cry of victory was followed by a loud thud and intense pain as the MUTO stomped the Asgardian into the mud. The Tesseract rolled out of his hands and back into the dirt. The MUTO swiped it up in its small hands and hugged it close to its body. With a roar, Hulk leapt over the edge and charged the MUTO. He jumped on its head and began pulling at its mandibles. The MUTO cried out in pain and frustration, shaking its head wildly to get the green giant off. Hulk held on with all his might. Natasha removed a grenade from belt and threw it at the creature's back. Unfortunately, the MUTO turned its body around, and the grenade detonated in the middle of Hulk's back. The MUTO slammed its head into the ground, pinning the Hulk into the dirt. The monster staggered around, disoriented from headbutting the ground. Hulk leaned on his shoulders, trying to get up. The MUTO picked him up and hurled him at Thor. Thor had just gotten to his feet only to be knocked over the edge and into the water with Hulk.

The MUTO let out an extremely enraged screech and began slamming its forelimbs into the plateau. It pounded it like an angry gorilla. The entire plateau began to crumble, with enormous chunks of rock falling into the ocean and kicking up enormous waves. Rhodey and Tony were hit by several falling rocks and tumbled over the edge. A large green arm swept them up before they hit the water. Hulk was hanging onto the rocky ledge.

"Hulk got you!" he said.

"Thanks, big guy," Tony said. Steve had dug his shield into the rock wall, hanging onto it for dear life as he dangled over the ocean. More of the plateau gave way, causing Natasha to fall off. Steve extended his arm out to catch her. In the blink of an eye, she managed to grab it. He pulled her up onto his back.

"Hold on to me!" he yelled. She wrapped her arms around his neck, holding him tight. "Natasha! I can't breathe!" More of the plateau started to crumble. Clint was the only one remaining topside before one final enormous chunk of rock gave way. The archer began to plummet towards the water.

"Clint!"Natasha yelled out, with fear being present for the longest time in her voice. Thor darted through the maze of falling rubble and caught Clint before he was smashed between two chunks. Natasha breathed a sigh of relief, thankful that she wouldn't lose him again. Hulk was climbing over to them with Rhodey and Tony hanging on to his right arm.

"_Vrrrrrr-aaaah-aaaah-aaaah-aaaah-aaaah-aaaah-aaah…."_

The chilling call echoed across the ocean. They all turned to see the MUTO flying over the ocean, its black silhouette prominent against the gray clouds. It shrank farther and farther until the clouds swallowed it completely. Tony turned his head to look out at the battleships. They drifted silently in the waves, the Helicarrier behind them. The entire Avengers team was exhausted beyond compare. They had put their all into that showdown. They had no MUTO corpse or Tesseract to make their efforts feel unwasted.

And it had escaped again, getting closer towards the west coast of the United States.


	7. Debriefing

The Avengers team sat at the table on the bridge of the Helicarrier, battered and beaten. Power was eventually restored to the Helicarrier, and SHIELD was combing the entire Pacific Rim for the MUTO. The team, however, was far from ready to reengage the MUTO. Bruce was sitting at the table, holding an ice pack to his head. Steve was rubbing his neck, sore on the account of Natasha holding onto him. Clint was rubbing a damp rag on Natasha's forehead, cleaning up a nasty gash she had received when the plateau crumbled into the sea. Tony was using a welding torch on his helmet. Thor was holding his sides, which were quite sore from being swatted around like a gnat. Admiral Stenz stood before them, with Nick Fury, Phil Coulson, and Maria Hill beside him. Doctor Serizawa and Vivienne were to the side. Armed guards surrounded the room.

"I won't pretend that our first formal strike was a success," he said, his arms folded.

"Well, I didn't exactly count on an EMP blast," Tony said. "By the way, a little warning would have been nice."

"After our first run in with its little secret power, we began development of a device that would allow us to build a suppression field," Fury said. "It was installed here on the Helicarrier and was supposed to prevent the EMP from taking out all we had. With it hovering over the plateau, it provided all of our forces with a wide safety range. This was to be its first official test against the MUTO."

"Well, it didn't pan out that well," Tony said.

"Something I had not anticipated," Fury said.

"The diagnostic reports say that it was working and fully functional," Agent Hill said.

"I believe the Tesseract had something to do with your device's failure," Thor said. "It amplifies one's normal abilities with the power contained within."

"So this MUTO is using the Tesseract?" Steve asked.

"I don't think so," Bruce said. "This thing might be smart, but it's still just an animal. I doubt it really knows what it has. Only sees it as just a small source of radiation to leech off. Or just a shiny trinket."

"This thing's carrying around the world's ultimate ace in the hole, and it doesn't even know it?" Tony asked.

"Ignorance is bliss, I suppose," Bruce replied.

"I'm still confused as to what the hell we just fought," Steve said. "I've seen plenty of crazy things but nothing like that."

"MUTO," Admiral Stenz said. "Massive Unidentified Terrestrial Organism."

"Well, it's definitely not terrestrial," Tony said.

"Where the hell did this thing come from?" Steve asked. Admiral Stenz looked over at Viviene and Serizawa.

"W-well," Vivienne started. "In 1999, we found an incredible find in a quarry located in the Philippines. The world's largest skeleton of any animal in existence was found perfectly preserved. 247 feet in length. Attached to the ceiling of the underground cavern were two red spores, with pustules all over their surface. One had burst open. It hatched, and the creature escaped by digging a tunnel out of the cave and to the ocean."

"Where it made its way to Janjira," Tony said.

"Why, yes," she replied.

"It caused that plant to collapse?" Natasha asked.

"Yes," Serizawa stated. "It came to the plant seeking radiation. It burrowed into it, causing it to collapse. Many workers were killed."

"And an entire city of people had to abandon their entire home because of it," Tony said, keeping the slight semblance of bitterness in his voice at bay.

"So where was all the radiation?" Natasha asked. "Janjira should have been uninhabitable, like Chernobyl."

"The MUTO absorbed it all," Fury said. "The MUTO feeds off radiation. It attached itself to the nuclear reactor and drained it dry."

"When it was safe to enter the area, all Monarch found was a large black and red construct," Vivienne said. "We were unsure what it was at the time, save for the fact that it was alive."

"A chrysalis," Thor said.

"Indeed," she responded. "We thought the MUTO needed the radiation to stay alive. We were only half right. It needed the radiation to also evolve."

"So you guys were charging this thing up for years like some sort of organic battery," Tony said.

"No one could have predicted this," Fury said, holding up his hand. "Most of this is recent development."

"How does a bug do an EMP blast like that?" Steve asked.

"We don't know," Vivienne answered. "Not for certain."

"That just doesn't seem possible," Bruce said. "I mean, I've done some impossible things, but we're talking about an organic creature carrying out a technological attack. This just doesn't add up."

"How does a creature end up feeding on radiation?" Natasha asked.

"We believed the MUTO and other creatures like it evolved millions of years ago," Vivienne said. "When the Earth was much more radioactive than before."

"Others like it?" Steve asked. "As in that more could be out there?"

"Nothing had ever officially been confirmed, but Monarch and SHIELD investigated unusual anomalies that popped up here and there," Coulson said. "Sinkholes that appeared overnight. Thought they would be MUTOs, but nothing was ever found."

"So there could be more out there?" Steve asked.

"Perhaps," Fury said.

"Where is the second spore being kept?" Tony asked.

"Sealed inside Yucca Mountain," Fury said. "We needed to contain it alongside all the other radioactive pieces of material."

"You placed a creature that lives off radiation inside a mountain chock full of it?" Tony asked. "Give us some credit, Mr. Stark," Admiral Stenz said. "We had it isolated in its own chamber away from the other materials."

"Oddly enough, this MUTO had proven to be much quieter than the other one," Coulson said. "Only one isolated incident. It unleashed an EMP blast that took out the power along the northeastern seaboard while we were transporting it to Yucca Mountain. Other than that, it was quite well behaved."

"What did you mean before?" Natasha asked. "The Earth being more radioactive."

"We believe the MUTO's species evolved at some point during the Permian era," Serizawa said.

"How did it evolve to feed on radiation?" Tony asked. "There can't have been that many power plants back in the dino days."

"Volcanoes," Vivienne said. "They produce heavy amounts of them. The Permian-Triassic extinction event was attributed heavily to supervolcanic activity. The MUTO's ancient ancestor evolved to use it as an energy source."

"How does something like this even work?" Tony asked. "There's no way in hell that it should exist."

"It's more common than you think," Bruce said. "But this still doesn't explain that EMP. If you're lucky, or unlucky, radiation can give you immense powers. Super regenerative abilities and super strength, but this is something else entirely."

"Could aliens have been involved?" Steve asked. "Made some sort of biological superweapon and planted it here millions of years ago?"

"At this point, anything is possible," Fury said.

"Radiation sources surely died down at some point," Clint said. "How did it survive for so long?"

"Hibernation," Vivienne said. "Although volcanic activity eventually decreased, there were still sources hidden in the corners of our planet."

"Undersea volcanoes deep underwater," Serizawa said. "Digging close to volcanic chambers deep underground would allow it to have direct access to the source."

"And now our world is acting like some sort of all-you-can-eat buffet for this thing," Clint said.

"Yet another reason to go green," Tony said.

"Aren't we forgetting the really important question here?" Rhodey asked. "How do we kill it?"

"I'm not sure you can," Serizawa said. A chill filled the room.

"How's that possible?" Agent Hill asked. "You have to be able to kill it."

"It's formidable," Thor said. "And durable. Even with the combined might of the Hulk and myself, the beast refused to fall. I believe the doctor's words may ring true."

"I'm sure me and Rhodey could've taken it down," Tony said.

"That thing showed no sign of weakening," Steve said. "Even with the navy and the Helicarrier unloading on it."

"And without any Stark or Phase 2 weaponry, we are at a severe disadvantage," Admiral Stenz said. "The United States has the best defense force of any country on Earth, but SHIELD's technology far surpasses our own. If SHIELD has difficulty taking down the MUTO, our country may be in even greater trouble than previously realized."

"The Tesseract certainly isn't doing us any favors," Clint said.

"We almost had it," Bruce said. "If the big guy had been a little faster-"

"He did his best, Bruce," Steve said. "And so did you."

"Even without the Tesseract in its possession, the MUTO was still an unbelievably formidable foe," Thor admitted. "In all my battles, I had never met a beast so powerful before."

"I'm not gonna let my country fall to some bug," Steve said. "I'll put everything on the line to stop that thing."

"Commendable as that may be, it may be a futile effort," Fury said. "Thor and the Hulk couldn't stop it together, even with the aid of our heavy gunfire."

"I hate to admit it, but Fury may be right," Bruce said. "This thing feeds on nuclear energy, and the US is full of it. This MUTO may be set for life. Citywide destruction is definite if this thing makes it to American land, and the resulting energy crisis that follows would-"

"There is another alternative," Admiral Stenz said. "A nuclear strike may deal with the MUTO permanently." The air quickly grew even more tense.

"That is absolutely out of the question," Fury said sternly, narrowing his good eye at the admiral. "The Council tried to convince me to nuke Manhattan back when Loki was running amuck. I didn't let it happen then, and I won't let it now."

"How exactly does killing a creature that feeds on radiation with a nuclear bomb solve our problem?" Tony asked. "You'd just be putting more wood on the fire."

"Nuclear armament development has advanced exponentially since the 20th Century, Mr. Stark," Admiral Stenz answered. "We've got devices that would make early nuclear bomb tests look like firecrackers The intense force and heat from the blast would kill it on impact."

"Are you not considering the environmental damage these nukes could cost?" Bruce asked. "Even after all these years, the Bikini Atoll is still uninhabitable."

"A small sacrifice to pay," Admiral Stenz said. "Nukes are never our first option and are never a final option selected with ease. But I have to defend our country and this Earth. From forces without and within."

"I understand your sentiment, sir," Steve said. "I've had to make some tough calls in my day, but this is a whole other jump. We need to take this slow and figure it out."

"With all due respect, son, we don't have time to take it slow," Admiral Stenz stated. "This thing is rapidly approaching United States waters with every flight, and we can't keep it a secret from the public forever. Once this thing ends up being spotted by a major population, we'll have a worldwide panic on our hands."

"Our weapons may have barely scratched it, but I don't believe that it's as immortal as you think it is, doctor," Fury said. He pressed a button on the holographic interface. His voice began to echo over the loudspeaker. "Until there is a definite plan of attack, I want all aerial units tracking the MUTO. Do not engage. I repeat. Do NOT engage." One guard switched shifts with another and left the room. Steve let out a heavy sigh, his chest rising and falling with it. He turned to a weary looking Serizawa, with Vivienne still standing right beside him.

"Doctor," he said. "Is there any way to kill this thing? Any way at all? Any secret weapon SHIELD or Monarch has?" Serizawa sighed. He looked down at his shoes.

"Nothing manmade can kill this beast," he said lowly. Everyone had grown quiet at these words. He glanced over at Vivienne, who slowly nodded at him. He nodded at her in return and looked back towards the others. "But I believe something can." He had their undivided attention with this statement.

"Like what?" Natasha asked. Serizawa looked at Vivienne again, who nodded for him to continue.

"In 1954, we awakened something," he began. Fury folded his arms and let out a heavy sigh.

"Here we go," he muttered. The others turned to look at him.

"Huh," Tony said. "Something Fury doesn't want us to hear? Well, this has to be good."

"It's just one of the doctor's conspiracy theories," Fury said.

"It was a conspiracy theory that brought me here," Tony said. "It proved to be right, so I think we should hear what he has to say."

"We really don't have any other options," Bruce said, leaning back in his chair. "I say let him speak."

"If it's something I don't know, I want to know," Natasha said.

"I wanna hear the doctor out," Steve said. "There could be something we can gain from this."

"I agree," Admiral Stenz said. "If the doctor has an alternative to nuclear weaponry, let's have it." Serizawa nodded at Vivienne. She placed an enormous metal briefcase on the counter. On the side of it was a black silhouette of a dinosaur's head under a red circle with a strike through it. She clicked it open, and a projector activated. Footage of old nuclear bomb tests from the 50s began to play.

"My father, Daisuke Serizawa, was serving as a sailor when his crew encountered a MUTO. An American naval ship had been run aground on a small island in the Pacific. A creature had attacked it and was rampaging through the Pacific, feeding on radiation sources. Many boats were destroyed, with many casualties following."

"This MUTO was dubbed "Shinomura" by Monarch," Vivienne said.

"You named it?" Steve asked.

"We needed a way to specify it," she said. "It was a highly unusual lifeform, unlike anything we had witnessed before." She pressed the button on the projector, which switched from the nuclear footage to a photograph of a small black crab-like creature. It could fit in someone's hand. "This is at its base form. An incredibly small creature, practically harmless. At its largest, it resembled this." She pressed the button again, switching to an elaborate drawing. It was a large black creature that resembled a sea lamprey with a large scorpion-like tail and bat-like wings. The drawing was incredibly detailed. "There was no actual picture of the creature. Daisuke Serizawa drew it from memory."

"How did it grow so big?" Clint asked.

"Monarch had studied the small creatures it was comprised of," Serizawa explained. "By absorbing radiation, they could assimilate and become a new and more powerful organism. It had been awakened when the bomb had been dropped on Hiroshima. Monarch had found a tunnel dug from the base of the Abu volcano."

"Under the orders of General Douglas MacArthur, Shinomura was killed via a nuclear bomb," Vivienne said. "Officially, it was designated a nuclear test."

"All the more reason why we should nuke this MUTO as well," Admiral Stenz said.

"Let them continue," Thor said, holding up a hand.

"The bomb only finished the job," Serizawa said.

"What started it?" Clint asked. Serizawa pushed the button on the projector once more. The team leaned in close, enthralled at the image before them. Large jagged triangular shapes jutted out from a large mass as it lifted out of the ocean, huge waves of water washing off of the top. Whatever it was, it looked positively enormous.

"Another monster?" Bruce breathed.

"No," Vivienne said. "A god." Thor's face grew tense. He could not deny the feelings of intimidation he felt.

"Looks like you got competition, big guy," Tony said to him. Despite his nonchalant exterior, Tony felt chills from what Vivienne said.

"This creature hunted Shinomura," Serizawa said. "He was protecting his territory from potential rivals. The ultimate alpha predator. My father said it was like watching the Leviathan and the Behemoth fight."

"Shinomura had been active in the Pacific after being awoken by the Hiroshima bombing," Vivienne said. "This creature was awakened as a result of the Castle Bravo test. After the test, the United States Navy detected undersea activity and sent a submarine to investigate. They found and fired upon the creature, who retaliated."

"He destroyed three battleships in his rage," Serizawa said. "From that moment, he was hunted."

"All those nuclear tests in the Pacific?" Vivienne said. "Not tests."

"They were trying to kill it," Serizawa stated. "They originally began as nuclear tests, but it then turned into a hunt." Vivienne pressed the button again, pulling up a picture of a bright orange mushroom cloud.

"Operation Redwing," she said. "Seventeen detonations." An image of a grey mushroom cloud popped up. "Operation Hardtack I: thirty five tests."

"Jesus," Rhodey whispered. "It took several dozen bombs to kill this thing."

"Doctor Serizawa believes otherwise," Fury said. "It's just not possible to survive so many bombings, even if the animal absorbed radiation. Shinomura was disintegrated in the atomic blast. It was only natural to assume the other was, too."

"Well, we do have a habit of playing around with possibility," Bruce said.

"Is that the creature that the skeleton you dug up belongs to?" Natasha asked.

"No," Serizawa said. "That is much older. And smaller."

"What makes you think this thing lived?" Rhodey asked.

"We never found a body," was his reply.

"The ocean is an enormous place, covering about 70% of the Earth," Fury said.

"Most of the ocean hasn't even been explored," Admiral Stenz said. "It is possible that the body was simply lost."

"I don't believe that, sir," Serizawa said. "I believe he is alive."

"So there's a dinosaur somewhere below us," Tony said.

"After careful analysis, we don't technically consider him a dinosaur anymore," Vivienne said. "Every dinosaur in the fossil record has been primarily land based. Prehistoric sea creatures consist of plesiosaurs, pliosaurs, ichthyosaurs, and mosasaurs. He is none of them but rather an evolutionary link between the two. Even then, we're not sure he's that anymore."

"Nuclear radiation mutates organic life heavily," Serizawa said. "It is possible that he is something else entirely now."

"That skeleton means there was more than one," Bruce noted.

"Correct," Vivienne said. "His species has been spotted by human kind many times throughout history. We believe sailors from long ago saw the species in the ocean, dubbing it Kraken, Leviathan, and other names."

"Here be dragons," Thor said.

"There's more," Serizawa added. "The African Congo legend of Mokele-mbembe. Its name translates roughly to "one who stops the flow of rivers". His species was even worshipped by ancient Japanese natives on Odo and Moansta Island. When the fishermen could not bring in any fish for the villages, they sacrificed beautiful women to appease it, according to legend."

"He got a name as well?" Clint asked. Serizawa nodded.

"In their language, he is called "_Gojira_"_._ Colloquially, he is known as "Godzilla". I believe he is the only thing that can best the MUTO."

"You certainly seem to hold him in high regard, doctor," Steve said.

"My father believed him to be more than just an animal," Serizawa said. "He believed him to be force of nature, like an earthquake or a tornado."

"And you think that Godzilla can defeat the MUTO?" Steve asked.

"Yes," Serizawa stated. "Nature has an order. A power to restore balance. I believe he IS that balance."

"But why would he fight the MUTO?" Tony asked.

"It makes perfect sense," Bruce said. "They're both enormous animals, way larger than any other living thing on the planet. And they both absorb radiation. They'd be in direct competition with one another for resources and territory. Like wolves and bears."

"How would we even get them to fight one another?" Thor asked.

"Godzilla hunts the MUTO," Serizawa said. "He will come."

"Do we even know where it is?" Rhodey asked.

"That I do not know," Serizawa admitted.

* * *

A storm raged on over the small island Thanos had taken residence at. It had been two days since Loki had left to infiltrate SHIELD. He was beginning to think that the Jotun had abandoned him here. The great brute locked his jaw in anger at the thought. Although he had enormous patience, he had little love for Loki. Part of him burned to snap his neck like a twig with enormous purple hands. His thoughts were interrupted by the sound of an engine, its hum growing louder. A SHIELD transport circled the island and descended towards the ground. Thanos rose to his feet and left the cover of the makeshift shelter he had constructed out of trees and rocks. The back of the transport opened, and a SHIELD guard exited. The two stood face to face.

"You certainly took your time," Thanos said. The guard's form began to shimmer with gold light and then dissipate. In his place was Loki, smirking.

"I have learned many a great deal in my time amongst the humans," he gloated.

"Hmph," Thanos said, folding his arms. "Elaborate."

"The humans' weapons cannot harm the MUTO," Loki began. "They did battle with it, and the creature defeated them utterly. Even the Avengers were no match. The humans are currently tracking its whereabouts. I have its location on the radar. With our combined might, we could kill the MUTO and show the humans they are truly no match."

"Indeed," Thanos said. "OR… we could indoctrinate the MUTO." Loki looked at his with a bemused look.

"You said it could not be tamed."

"I said YOU couldn't tame it." Loki glowered at him. "We retrieve the Tesseract from the creature and then bend it to our will." Loki pondered it for a while before a sinister grin stretched across his face.

"Yes," he purred. "Together, we are strong enough. But with a giant monster at our side, we would be unstoppable. Are you sure you are capable?"

"We shall see, won't we?" Thanos said.

"There is more," Loki said.

"More good news?"

"The best," he said. "There is a second MUTO." A grin stretched across Thanos's face. "The humans store it within a Yucca Mountain. It requires nuclear radiation to awaken, and they were foolish enough to bury it underground with tons of nuclear waste."

"Two MUTOs then," Thanos said. "Two giant monsters at our side with the combined might of the Chitauri and our strength as well, the Earth would fall."

"It would be a glorious battle," Loki said. "Lots of destruction."

"And death," Thanos stressed.

"Then, we have a plan?" Loki asked. Thanos merely nodded. "Well, then. Let us become reacquainted with the MUTO." Loki walked back into the transport with Thanos in tow.


	8. Mobilize

The SHIELD transport had tracked a radiation signal farther east from the Solomon Islands, to another small island. It was remote and barely noticeable on the map. Lush tropical plants and ferns dotted the island. The sky was blue with the sun hanging high above. The only noticeable feature was an enormous crater in the center. The transport descended a ways back from the hole. Loki and Thanos exited the vehicle and made their way towards the hole. The two peered deep into it, unable to see anything in the dark abyss that hung open like a gaping maw.

"You're sure it is here?" Thanos asked.

"Positive," Loki said. "I was able to narrow down the location of the Tesseract using the computer on the ship. It resides within. Now, pray tell, how do we plan to withdraw it from its hole? We would be at a disadvantage to fight it down below."

"Perhaps a little magic is in order," Thanos suggested. Loki smiled and waved his fingers, having his scepter materialize in his hands. The blue energy pulsed wildly in it, much stronger than before. "I see you have retrieved your old scepter."

"I performed the old "bait and switch", as the humans say," he bragged. "They know so little about Asgardian technology that they won't be able to tell the difference between the two. Now…" Loki hoisted his scepter up high and slammed it into the ground. A shockwave resonated throughout the island, reverbing deep through the rock under their feet. A familiar noise graced their ears.

"_Vrrrrr-rr-rr-rr-rr-rr-rr-rr…_" Thanos grinned.

"I will not underestimate the beast this time," he said.

"I thought our plan was to tame the beast, not kill it," Loki said.

"I have been patient, and I desire battle," Thanos said. "I shall have it, even if it is brief." The ground began shaking at brief intervals, with loud thuds echoing from within the hole. Two black forelimbs tipped with red rose from the hole, carrying the insect-like body of the MUTO with it. It stood tall over the hole, looking down at them and spreading its wings with a snarl. In its small hands was the Tesseract.

"I shall retrieve the Tesseract," Loki said. "You keep the creature busy."

"And then it shall be ours!" Thanos yelled, leaping into the air towards the MUTO. It let out a monstrous screech, only to be cut off by Thanos's fist landing in the center of its head. The MUTO staggered back, thrown off balance by the small creature. In retaliation, it smashed its forelimb into Thanos's torso. He managed to stay on his feet but skidded back through the dirt. The brute crashed into a tree, which toppled over from the force. Loki fired bolts of blue energy from his scepter, stinging the carapace of the MUTO. It stomped its forelimb onto Loki, who ended up fading in a burst of gold light. It turned to see Loki again, which earned him a stomp. He also faded in similar fashion to earlier. The MUTO found itself surrounded by many Lokis. It swept its forelimb through them all, taking down several trees with them. While the MUTO attacked the Lokis, the real Loki was maintaining his balance on its tiny middle arm. His illusion copies distracted the beast while he attempted to pry the Tesseract from its gangly fingers. Thanos leapt upon the MUTO's head and slid its fingers under its jaw, pulling it back. The MUTO reared back in pain, flapping its wings violently. "Get it, you fool!"

"I shall have it!" Loki replied. He put more pressure on his specter, still trying to pry it out of the MUTO's vice like grip. The scepter was being pulled into his chest, but the Tesseract was still locked within its fingers. Thanos grew impatient and leapt from the MUTO's head down to its torso. It landed on the other arm and grabbed the forearm. The brute pulled it back away from the Tesseract, his foot planted firmly on the creature's elbow. Even with only one arm holding onto the cube, Loki had difficulty prying it out of the MUTO's fingers. With a frustrated yell, he stabbed the blade on his scepter into the creature's wrist. Blood splashed out of the serration Loki had created. A pained screech rang out over the island, and the MUTO's hand twitched and spazzed. The Tesseract hit the dirt , kicking up much of it upon impact. "It is free!" Loki and Thanos leapt down off the MUTO and landed on the island floor. The MUTO licked at its wound and peered down at them, its mandibles contorted in a sneer. Thanos wrapped his thick fingers around the cube and pointed it at the MUTO.

"Enough of this!" he shouted. The Tesseract began to crackle with blue electricity. "Obey, creature!" The MUTO snapped at them. "I am Thanos, the Mad Titan! The savage Chitauri obey me, and so shall you! You will obey! Obey! OBEY!" A blindingly bright blue beam of energy shot from the Tesseract and phased through the MUTO but then fading as quickly as it arrived. The MUTO stood still, just watching them. The red markings on its body flashed blue and then quickly changed back to red. All that could be heard was it breathing and the sound of waves softly crashing upon the sandy shore. The MUTO shook its head. Thanos grinned. "It is ours now."

"Excellent," Loki said and walked towards it. It hissed at him, causing him to step back to Thanos. "I thought you said it was ours."

"It is," Thanos said. "To an extent." Loki glared at him.

"To an extent?" he asked. "You claimed you could control the MUTO with the Tesseract!"

"Controlling an animal is not the same as with a human," Thanos said. "Even with such a powerful object at my disposal, you cannot just erase millions of years of evolutionary primal instinct."

"Is that why it was hostile towards me? Loki asked.

"No," Thanos said with a grin. "That was for me." Loki gave him an icy stare. "The MUTO shall fight for us, but its need to feed, rest, and breed cannot be denied."

"Breed?" Loki asked.

"Yes," Thanos replied, staring into the Tesseract. "It is male. And looking for a mate." Loki was quiet, pondering something. A sinister smile crossed over his face.

"Then let us play matchmaker," he said. "Yucca Mountain awaits."

"Now THAT is a plan I can get behind," Thanos said. "It will surely be heavily defended, and the Avengers will no doubt attempt to apprehend us."

"We have the MUTO and the Tesseract now," Loki said. "What do we have to fear? The MUTO will surely sweep over them like the locust swarms of human mythology."

"Oh, but why let the monster have all the fun?" Thanos mused. "We have an opportunity on our hands for something great."

"Explain," Loki said.

"The two of us can head to Yucca Mountain and obtain the other MUTO," Thanos explained. "And the MUTO can keep the Avengers distracted in another part of the world."

"There IS a human settlement a distance from here," Loki said, remembering the chain of islands to the northeast. "You propose we send the MUTO there while we free the other?"

"Divide and conquer," Thanos said. "Once we have both MUTOs and the Avengers exhausted, we can create a portal for the Chitauri to enter from."

"And THIS time, my victory will be absolute," Loki said. "I get my planet. You get your Tesseract AND your battle." Thanos let out a deep chuckle.

"Excellent," he purred. He turned back to the MUTO, still standing there. "Go forth, creature, and wreak havoc!"

"_Vrrrrrr-RAAAAH-AAAAH-AAAAH-AAAAHHH!_" The MUTO flapped its wings and lifted into the air, heading northeast. The two watched it shrink along the horizon.

* * *

The Helicarrier drifted high over the Pacific Ocean, with most of SHIELD searching the region for the renegade MUTO. The United States Navy and Air Force had planes and ships lined around the country, watching the waters and airways. With no plan of attack, the Avengers sat onboard the Helicarrier, growing more restless the longer they were inactive. Tony was busy running maintenance on both his and Rhodey's suits. Natasha and Clint were sparring downstairs in the gym, pushing themselves to outdo one another. Steve was lifting weights on the other side of the gym, listening to a playlist comprised by Tony, Clint, and even Natasha of some of America's best music since his time. Bruce was in his laboratory on the ship, doing independent research. Thor was unable to find ways to keep himself occupied and wandered the ship aimlessly. He wandered into the lounge and saw Professor Vivienne Graham organizing some papers.

"Excuse me," he said, walking over to her. She looked up at him in surprise.

"Oh, h-hello," she said. "Can I help you?"

"I find myself uneasy and wished to engage in conversation with someone," Thor said. "If it is of no bother for you…."

"Oh, no," she said. "I don't mind. It would be an honor to talk to you, sir." Thor laughed slightly.

"Please," he said, holding up a hand. "There is no need to be so formal, ma'am."

"The same goes for you….. Thor," she said with a giggle. "I'm sorry. It's just so odd to talk to THE Thor. Both a superhero and a mythological figure."

"Well, the myth is more truth than myth," he said with a laugh.

"Right," she said. "Exactly what did you wish to talk about? What's on your mind?" Thor sighed.

"With this MUTO somewhere out there and my brother and his cohort running around unchecked, I find myself stressed," he admitted.

"Loki," she said. "Your adopted brother?"

"Yes," Thor said. "He's always be family to me, even if I must bring justice down upon him."

"What will you do when you find him?" Vivienne asked.

"Hopefully, return him and the Tesseract home. Seal them both away."

"Your home," Vivienne said. "Asgard. What is it like?"

"Oh, it's positively beautiful," Thor said. "The towers span high into the heavens and shine bright with gold."

"You must miss it," she said.

"Oh, all the time," he admitted. "But Midgard is just as beautiful." She looked puzzled. "It is the term for your Earth. Your Earth is so diverse and full of many things. The foliage and animals vary in ways too numerous to count. And your people. The humans are amazing. Such a strong and resilient race so bound to the notion of identity. And the way you learn just for learning is a testament to your prowess. Asgard could learn from you."

"You're too kind," she said, surprised by how humble he was.

"I mean it," he said. "Your Earth is full of surprises. Both good and bad. Like your MUTO."

"Speaking of the MUTO, I was wondering," she said, and then paused. "Well…. about… Godzilla. What do you think about him?"

"I believe you," he said. She looked up at him in surprise.

"R-really?" she asked.

"Of course," he said. "SHIELD and your military may believe he is no more, but you seem quite convinced he still breathes."

"Even without proof, you still believe?" Vivienne asked.

"It's a lot to take on faith, but I do believe you," he said. "I was a mere myth to your people, yet here I stand. Tony Stark built a metal suit to fly. Captain Rogers survived in ice for decades. Doctor Banner transforms into a super beast. And the MUTO itself, of course. Doctor Serizawa is convinced he shall come to best the MUTO. His belief must have some sort of basis."

"You honor Sensei with your words," Vivienne said. Thor looked at her, confused.

"Sensei?" he repeated.

"It's Japanese," she said. He still gave her a confused look. "It's an Earth language." Thor nodded in understanding. "It is a formal title for those you look to for respect. Like teachers. Doctor Serizawa is my teacher."

"Your Sensei," he said. She nodded. "Well, I suppose that Captain Rogers would be a Sensei to me."

"You respect Captain Rogers greatly, I see," she said.

"He is an honorable mortal," Thor said. "His feats are revered in your world. I would follow him into the gates of Hades, if needed."

"I would do the same for Sensei," Vivienne said.

"You two are adorable," a voice said. Tony was leaning against the side of the doorway, a smirk on his face.

"Hello, Mr. Stark," Vivienne said in a friendly tone. Tony laughed.

"Please," he said. "Just "Tony", dear." He walked over to join them. "You." He pointed at Vivienne. "I was talking to Coulson, and he talked about you so much."

"He did?" she asked, unable to hide her enthusiasm.

"Oh yeah," he said. "He went nuts when you said you liked his Captain America vintage cards."

"He has the whole set!" she said energetically. "They're vintage!" Tony laughed again and shook his head.

"Looks like Steve's got competition," he said, looking at Thor. He looked confused by his comment.

"You guys talking about me?" a voice asked. Steve came through the doorway, wiping his face off with a towel.

"Hello, Mr. Rogers," Vivienne said.

"It's just "Steve" for him," Tony said, patting him on the shoulder. Steve nodded. "Takin' a break there, big guy?"

"Yeah," Steve said, slinging the towel around his neck. "I've been restless all day. I can't just stay here on the ship while that MUTO is out there."

"I as well," Thor said. "Mjolnir grows itchy in my hands with the MUTO and Loki on the loose." Tony looked back and forth between Steve and Thor.

"I'm fine," he said, patting Thor on the shoulder. "Great, actually."

"How can you be so calm?" Steve asked. "With all those things out there? SHIELD has us here like sitting ducks."

"Oh, I'm not too keen on being told what to do," Tony said. "But what other plan do we have? Let SHIELD find the MUTO, and we kick its ass. Simple as that."

"I dunno how you do it," Steve said. "I just need some sort of action."

"You may be in luck," a voice said. They all turned to see Nick Fury standing in the doorway.

"Sir?" Steve asked.

"We've got a situation," he said. "The bridge. Now." They followed Fury up to the bridge, being joined by Natasha, Clint, Rhodey, and Bruce along the way. Fury didn't say a word until they entered the bridge. Agent Hill, Coulson, Serizawa, and Captain Hampton were waiting on them. "How bad is it, Coulson?"

"Bad," he said. "Admiral Stenz left for damage control."

"Damage control?" Steve asked. He saluted Captain Hampton, which he returned. "What's happening, sir?"

"Twelve hours ago, a Russian nuclear sub disappeared along the border of United States waters," Captain Hampton said. "We suspect the MUTO is involved, but the Russian government is pointing fingers at our boys due to our ships lined up and down the borders."

"Why were the Russians so close to the US?" Rhodey asked.

"One reason why the Russians think we had something to do with their missing sub," Captain Hampton said. "As of right now, the only other people besides us that knows about the MUTO is the US government."

"We can't keep this a secret forever, sir," Natasha said. Captain Hampton sighed.

"I'm aware, but the last thing we need right now is another Cold War," he said.

"Why are things so tense between us?" Steve asked. "I thought that things calmed down after Reagan and Gorbachev."

"For a while," Natasha said.

"Things have changed in recent years, Mr. Rogers," Rhodey said. "A lot."

"I'm still a bit behind on things," Steve said. "Does it get any worse, sir?" Captain Hampton looked to Agent Hill. With a nod, she pulled up a holographic projection of a map of the Pacific. A marker appeared on the island of Oahu, Hawaii. In the jungle outside of Honolulu. The Avengers all grew tense.

"That's a civilian area," Rhodey said.

"How many people live on that island?" Steve asked.

"A little under a million," Agent Coulson said. "A third of them live in the city."

"We need a game plan," Tony said abruptly. "Now." His usual calm demeanor was nowhere to be found.

"My thought exactly, Mr. Stark," Captain Hampton said. "You and the two SHIELD agents will enter the forest to locate the sub. Check for survivors. We'll need to evacuate the civilian population in the event the MUTO attacks the city. Captain Rogers, you'll be in charge of evac. Colonel Rhodes, I want you, Thor, and Doctor Banner to help organize the defense force in the city. We'll be watching the skies and defending the evac from the MUTO. If we can get through this, we can all go home. Now, let's move! Double time!" The Avengers quickly left the room and went their separate ways to suit up.

"Hey, Steve," Tony said. With a plan to go by, he was now much calmer. "After all this, what plans do you have?"

"Well, me and Thor were gonna watch some movies," he replied. "Figured it would be a fun way to learn more about all that's different."

"What did you have in mind?" Tony asked.

"Professor Graham said Doctor Who, and Agent Coulson said Star Wars."

"Star Wars," Tony said. "Excellent choice. My advice: start with the best one of them all. The Phantom Menace."

"Ooh, that sounds pretty good," Steve said.

"Trust me," Tony said with a smile. "You have no idea what to expect." Steve nodded his head, liking the sound of that.

"Well, thanks, Tony," he said, patting his friend on the shoulder. "I'm sure Thor and I are gonna love it." He went into the other room to retrieve his uniform. Tony went to his lab to slip into the Iron Man suit. He was stifling a laugh the entire time.


	9. Waikiki

"Why are we even searching out here?" Tony asked as he flew over the jungle. Clint, Natasha, and members of the United States Special Forces were wandering along the jungle floor, guns primed.

"Fury said the signal from the nuclear sub was out here," Clint said, climbing over a fallen log.

"How'd it even get out here?" a soldier asked.

"Obviously the MUTO's doing," Clint answered. "Fury, you got anything yet?" Back on the Helicarrier, Fury had everyone working the bridge scanning for the signal emitted by the Tesseract. It was nowhere to be found.

"We're blind up here," Fury said. "If it's here, it's no longer carrying the Tesseract."

"It just dropped it somewhere?" Clint asked.

"That's a possibility," Fury replied.

"Damn," Tony said. "If that thing's out there in the water, it'll take forever to find."

"One thing at a time, Stark," Fury said, his voice coming over the radio. "We've got the Navy sweeping the ocean around the island for survivors. We've got agents and soldiers moving into the city to commence evacuation, and the Helicarrier is getting in position.

"Ground team," Captain Hampton said. "Should you encounter the MUTO, under no circumstances are you to engage it until the Helicarrier is in position and civilians have been evacuated. I repeat: do NOT engage the MUTO."

"You sure this suppression field will work this time around, Fury?" Tony asked.

"It better," Clint said. "Two of the three of us will be sitting ducks out here if it don't."

"We're retrofitting the device with some replacement parts," Fury said. "The excess energy the suppression field produces wears down the synthetic vibranium parts quickly. Just find the MUTO and keep your distance."

"No promises," Tony said. "Rhodey, how's things on your end?" SHIELD and the military were in the process of evacuating the Waikiki district of Honolulu. Ships were taking them to the mainland, and the trams were packed transporting civilians to the Honolulu International Airport. Thor, Rhodey, and the Hulk were on the rooftop of one of the hotels standing before the ocean. Members of the Special Forces were being flown in via helicopters, lining the roofs of various buildings.

"We've got a long way to go," Rhodey said. "There's a lot of people still here. About a hundred thousand still left in the city. Boats and trams are packed to capacity over here." Both tourists and locals were waiting in front of the beach, with plenty of them relaxing. A dog was tied to a tree, digging in the sand. The stars twinkled against the dark cover of night, the calm and warm air complimented by the soft noise of the waves washing upon the shore. The civilians had been told of a hurricane making its way towards the island. It was a tough act to sell and involved a numerous amount of government espionage, but it quickly became the "official" story. None of them were aware of the real threat that lingered in the shadows. "Captain, are you keeping it together down there?"

"As best I can," Steve replied. He was in charge of escorting civilians on the tram to the airport. SHIELD placed him among them with the idea that an Avenger would make them feel more secure. Especially if that Avenger was Captain America. For the most part, it was panning out accordingly. "Alright, everyone! Take your seats. We're gonna get you all on a plane out of here. I'm here to keep things orderly and to make sure you all feel safe. Come on, everyone! Pile in!" A small Asian boy slowly walked up to Steve, staring up at him in awe. Steve looked down at him and smiled. "Hey, little buddy." He crouched down to his knees. "Where's your parents?" The boy looked back at his parents, who were talking with someone. The automatic doors ended up sliding closed, and the train began to take off. The parents chased after the train, their son knocking on the glass window in fear of leaving them. Tears began to build up in his eyes. "Hey, hey." Steve placed a hand on his shoulder. "It'll be okay. Don't be scared. Your parents will be coming to the airport next. We can wait on them there together. Alright?" The boy dried his eyes and calmed down.

"Y-yes, sir," he said softly. Steve smiled and ruffled the boy's hair.

"Wanna hold my shield?" he asked. The boy had a wide smile on his face and nodded fiercely. Steve slid the shield off his back and let the boy hold it. "What's your name?"

"Aiko," the boy said, his happiness and awe restored. He held the shield in front of him, pretending to block shots like when he saw Captain America defending New York on television two years ago. Steve smiled and watched the boy play with the shield, making laser and punching noises.

* * *

The jungle team was approaching the target sight, unsure of what they would find. The cool breeze rustled the ferns leaves of the tropical canopy far above them. It was eerily quiet, more than any of them were used to. Natasha and Clint were used to quiet. When he had a target, Clint could lay motionless amongst the trees and rocks for hours on end. The sound of bugs and birds became very homey to him. The quietness usually stemmed from Natasha herself, keeping the cards played close to her chest at all times. Rarely speaking but always watching. But this was exceptionally quiet. No bugs, birds, frogs, or anything. Only the sound of wind, and even that came barely above a whisper. Even Tony, as talkative as he was, was rendered silent by the muteness of the world. He floated in the air, staring out at the mass of green obscured by the blackness of the sky. The jungle seemed to be otherworldly, so isolated, quiet, and untouched. Tony remembered small picture books he read as a kid, about the prehistoric lands of millennia past, when giants roamed the untamed wilderness. Man was not even a conceived notion to the world.

"Sir, I've detected radiation signals," JARVIS said, interrupting his thoughts. Tony jumped, snapped back to reality. "Due North." He shook his head and regained focus.

"Nice work, JARVIS," Tony said. He waved the ground forces along and drifted north. Tony followed the signal JARVIS had pinged on the radar, leading to a large clearing. Clint, Natasha, and the troops emerged from the foliage, greeted by a phenomenal sight. The Russian nuclear sub was, indeed, far inland. It was also torn open like a soup can, with the lights flickering dimly. No bodies could be seen around the crash site. A gangly figure rose over the wreckage, obscured by the shadows. The MUTO pulled a device out of the interior of the sub, sparks shooting out after it. With a few snaps, it swallowed it down and ducked back down inside to search for more.

"Sir, it appears to be feeding on the submarine's nuclear reactor," JARVIS said.

"Of course," Tony whispered to himself. "MUTO feeds on nuclear energy. Makes sense why it would pluck the sub out of the water." Clint, Natasha, and the soldiers were ducking behind the foliage, relying on the shadows and cover of night to hide them from the MUTO's sight. "Fury, we've found the MUTO. It's feeding on the sub's reactor."

"Copy that," Fury said from the Helicarrier. "Do not engage the MUTO until we are ready."

"When will you be ready?" Tony asked.

"Repairs are almost finished," Fury said. "Agent Hill, I need an ETA ASAP."

"Four minutes, sir," she said, looking over holographic projections of the repulsion machine.

"Four minutes, boys," Clint whispered, his arrow primed. "Just sit tight." The two SHIELD agents and the soldiers were still huddled in the bushes, watching the MUTO dig around inside the submarine.

"We're out of our league, man," one soldier said. "This is crazy."

"Keep it together, son," another soldier said. The one soldier was shaking like a leaf, clutching his gun tightly.

"They never taught us anything about fighting monsters," he said. "I didn't sign up for this."

"None of us did," Natasha whispered.

"Four minutes, and then we bring the hammer down," Clint said.

"No way, man," the soldier said. "We can't do this. We can't do this!" Another soldier placed his hand over the one soldier's mouth, silencing him. The MUTO glanced up briefly from the wreckage and then went back down into the scrap.

"What the hell is wrong with you, son?" the soldier asked. "You nearly gave us away."

"Are you seeing this?" he asked. "It's game over for us."

"You keep it together," he hissed. He let the one soldier go, who sat there in fear of the giant creature. His gun hugged his rifle tensely.

"No no no," he said silently. The one soldier sat in silence, his heart beating in his ears. He was new to the Special Forces, being much greener than his counterparts. The others were just as frightened as he was, but they kept their emotions chained deep within. For him, it was seeping out steadily and building. Leaking out farther and farther. His eyes twitched in his skull, from his fellow soldiers to the MUTO and then back again. The bottom of his feet began to feel hot and irritated inside his boots, his hands growing hot and sweaty from the anxiety he felt. His back and neck grew hot as well, the jungle air feeling like ice upon his face. His silent hyperventilating could not be heard above the MUTO's stomping and tearing. The silence in the jungle was broken by the click of a gun, followed by rapid gunfire. "RAAAAAAH!" The terrified soldier leapt from the ferns and began to unload his ammo onto the MUTO.

"We've been compromised!" the other soldier said. "All units! Engage!" Being peppered on its side caused the MUTO to turn and screech loudly at them.

"Do not engage that MUTO!" Fury said over the radio. "The suppression system is not yet finished."

"Sorry, Fury," Tony said, zipping around the MUTO. "But you better finish it quick. The MUTO doesn't seem like it's gonna wait." The ground forces began emptying their clips into the MUTO's torso. The rock hard carapace did not buckle under the barrage of bullets. With an annoyed hiss, the MUTO reared its forelimb back and swept through the trees. Many trees were uprooted and sent crashing down, with half of the Special Forces caught between them and the monster. Natasha fired several incendiary grenades at it but to no avail. Clint shot two arrows into its shoulder, both armed with explosives in the arrowheads. With a click of the device on his wrist, the arrows exploded. Chunks of bony carapace and dark blood burst from its shoulder. Enraged, it looked at Clint and prepared to snap at him but was interrupted when Tony rocketed into the side of its head. The impact sent him ricocheting off of the creature and wobbling through the air, kept aloft by the rockets. The MUTO had been caught off guard by the blow and staggered off to the side. It shook its head, trying to rid itself of the disorientation. The MUTO snarled at Tony and snapped at him, pinning him between the creature's mandibles. The HUD inside his helmet displayed significant structural damage being done to the midsection of the Iron Man suit. "JARVIS, all power to thrusters." The rockets in his boots kicked on full blast, sending a jet of burning hot flames down the MUTO's throat. With a pained guttural screech, the MUTO was forced to let him go. The creature vomited up blood from the burns inside its mouth and throat. Tony spun himself around and shot several energy blasts from his palms at the creature's head. Slowly, the MUTO turned to him, an angry snarl visible on its face. With a mighty screech, it reared its forelimb back and slammed it into the ground. A burst of energy leapt from its body and engulfed the lot of them. Tony fell to the ground with a loud thud. Clint's bow was rendered inoperable, and communications with the Helicarrier were cut off. Tony managed to lift himself up, his body a bit pained by the MUTO's bite. He looked up to see the MUTO lift its forelimbs high over its head and then bring them swiftly into the wreckage of the submarine.

An enormous burst of orange fire erupted from the wreckage of the submarine, with the heat setting fire to some of the forest. Smoke billowed out over the area, obscuring any and all sight. Clint and Natasha held their arms in front of their mouths. Tony rose to his feet, knocked clean to the ground from the explosion. All the electronic systems in his suit were completely inoperable. He could see nothing through the smoke caused by the sub. Tony heard the rustling of bushes and saw Clint emerge from the smoke. He reached out for him and helped him up.

"Come on, pal!" he said, covering his mouth. Tony squinted and peered through the thick and black smoke, looking for the MUTO and the others.

"Over here"! Natasha shouted. Clint and Tony ran over to her. The surviving soldiers escaped the smoke and stood by the outskirts of the clearing.

"Target lost!" a soldier shouted, looking all around for the MUTO. It was nowhere to be found. "Target has disappeared!"

"How do you lose a giant bug?" Tony asked.

"Where the hell could it have possibly gone?" Clint asked.

* * *

The power in the Waikiki area switched off in the blink of an eye, the entire city rendered black in an instant. Thor, the Hulk, and Rhodey stood on the rooftop, confused.

"Fury, what happened?" Rhodey asked.

"The MUTO shot off its EMP," Fury explained. "One of our boys engaged the MUTO and riled it up. Stark, Romanoff, and Barton are dark on their end and ours."

"Why are we still good on our end?" Rhodey asked.

"It was a weaker EMP blast than what we're used to," Fury said. "No Tesseract means it's not as powerful."

"The EMP hit the power plant on the outskirts of the city," Coulson said, pulling up a holographic map of the island on Rhodey's HUD. Waves were echoing from Tony's last location, passing through the power plant. The waves did not extend incredibly far, not even touching the city.

"Tony could be in trouble," Rhodey said.

"Indeed," Thor said. "We should assist him."

"Negative," Fury said. "You three are to stay in the city if the MUTO decides to visit."

"But Tony could be in danger!" Rhodey said.

"We'll all be in danger if that MUTO gets in the city," Fury said. "Agent Hill, where is that suppression device at?" Agent Hill was tracking progress being made on the device from a holographic interface. It was giving the green light.

"Suppression field IS ready, sir!" Agent Hill said. A large signal erupted on screen from Tony's location. Thor, the Hulk, and Rhodey looked towards the north, seeing a huge ball of fire erupt from the jungle.

"What the hell!" Rhodey said. "Sir, did you catch that?"

"We did," Fury said. "Large explosion."

"That could be Tony!" Rhodey said.

"Sir, I must request that we do come to his aid!" Thor pleaded.

"Negative," Fury stated adamantly. "You three are to stick with the city until ordered otherwise. Agent Hill, fire that field up!"

"Yes, sir!" she replied.

* * *

Back on the tram, the passengers, Steve, and Aiko were sitting quietly. Aiko, while still missing his parents, felt quite safe sitting next to Captain America. Steve, for the first time in nearly forever, felt very relaxed and at ease. They were nearly halfway to the Honolulu International Airport, and they would all be safely unloaded and sent to the nearest airplane, which would fly them off the island and to the mainland. The tram slowed to a halt, and the lights went out. The passengers inside ascended into an uproar of concern.

"Hey, what is this?" a male passenger asked.

"What's going on? What just happened?" a middle aged woman asked.

"Not cool!" a teenage girl said. Steve rose to his feet and took the center of the tram.

"Everyone, relax!" he ordered. "It's just a power outage. They happen all the time. The wave activity around the power plant has been bad and causing disruptions. As we speak, damage is already being repaired. Just relax, and we'll all be fine."

"Will we be safe up here?" a middle aged woman asked.

"We're hanging several feet off the ground in a steel box," an old man said. "Will this hold us?"

"Trust me," Steve said, holding up his hand. "We'll be fine. These things were designed for these scenarios. And the other Avengers are not far off in the event of an emergency. Everyone just please relax and sit down." The uproar had quieted down, and the passengers got comfortable in their seats. With a sigh of relief, Steve sat down next to Aiko. "You okay?"

"Yeah," Aiko said, clutching the shield tightly to his body. "I'm fine. You said we'll be okay. I believe you. I know you'll protect us." Steve smiled and turned away to look out the window, the airport they were close to reaching was as dark as the rest of the island. He spoke as quietly as he could into his radio.

"Fury, what is happening?" he whispered.

"MUTO released an EMP," Fury said. "How is crowd control on your end?"

"Everything's fine," he said. "I've calmed everyone down. Sir, what about the MUTO?"

"Keep things good on your end," Fury said. "I've got men hitting the power plant as we speak. Backup generators should kick on any moment now." As if on cue, the lights on the tram kicked on. The passengers all made declarations of relief. Steve leaned back in his seat and looked out the window behind him. The inviting light of the airport had returned, looking like a lighthouse in a dark stormy gale. The runways began to light up individually until a field of light appeared in the dark. A scream rang out from inside the tram when one of the runways lit up to reveal the MUTO standing on it, towering over everything on the horizon. It was surprised by the sudden resurgence of light, having slunk away from the dark of the jungle. Steve snatched his shield from Aiko and clutched it tight.

"Fury, the MUTO is converging on my tram!" he shouted into the radio. "I've got civilians in here! I need backup immediately!" The MUTO turned its head and caught sight of the small tram approaching it. It chirped curiously and approached it.

* * *

"MUTO has been spotted approaching Honolulu International Airport," a voice said over the radio. Naval cruisers had converged on Waikiki in the event the MUTO attempted to escape. The SHIELD Helicarrier was positioned over Waikiki, the suppression generator at full capacity. If the MUTO tried another EMP blast, all tech within the field would be kept functional.

"Fury, the MUTO is converging on my tram!" Steve said over the radio. "I've got civilians in here! I need backup immediately!"

"Stark, you wanted to play hardball with the MUTO," Fury said. "Well, now's your chance. Make your way over to Rogers double time."

"Rock and roll," Tony said in the radio. "Send a transport for Barton and Natasha."

"Already inbound," Fury said. Fury, Agent Hill, and Coulson all stood before a huge holographic display of the city. Thor, the Hulk, and Rhodey had the city secured. Steve and the MUTO were at the Honolulu International Airport with Tony, Clint, and Natasha inbound. Eight markers on the holographic map. With the suppression field in operation, Fury could finally pit the Avengers against the MUTO on an even playing field. With the MUTO out of the city, casualties can be greatly reduced. The plan was coming together before their eyes.

Just then, a ninth marker appeared on the map. An incredibly large marker giving off high energy signals. It was coming from the ocean, towards the beach. The three of them looked at it in confusion.

"Agent Hill?" Fury asked. She ran her fingers over the holographic displays, searching for answers.

"It's not one of ours," she said. "We don't have anything that size, save for the Helicarrier. And there have been no orders to send anything out of that magnitude." Fury narrowed his good eye at the display. He pressed a button on the interface.

"Stark, you have friends coming?" he asked.

"You mean aside from Rhodey and my Avenger pals?" he asked, the rush of engines heard in the background.

"Correct," Fury said.

"If I did, they picked a hell of a time to show up," Tony replied. Fury didn't seem satisfied with that answer.

"Thor, have any of your Asgardian friends made their way here?" he asked.

"Aside from Loki?" he asked.

"That's correct," was the reply.

"No one else," Thor said. "I brought no other Asgardians with me. They all remain home." Fury was growing troubled and just when it seemed the plan was going smoothly. It obviously couldn't be Steve, Bruce, Rhodey, or the two SHIELD agents. And it certainly wasn't one of theirs.

"Could it be Loki, sir?" Coulson asked.

"I don't think so," Fury said. "The Tesseract is powerful, but this is something else entirely."

"Plus, it's much too large," Agent Hill said. Fury pressed the interface again.

"Captain Hampton, are any other vessels making their way here?" he asked.

"Negative, sir," Captain Hampton replied. "Everything here is all that can be spared." Fury stood in silence, staring at the approaching ninth marker. The air was tense around him.

"Sir?" Agent Hill asked.

"We got ourselves a bogey," was his reply.

* * *

Alarms were blaring aboard the USS Saratoga, a specially armed supercarrier drifting in the ocean before the island. Soldiers armed with guns were running up and down the decks and hallways, the tense of urgency imminent. Doctor Serizawa and Professor Vivienne Graham were on the command deck, watching the action take place. The interface on the bridge's command table showed a map of Waikiki and the strategy plans at work. Eight markers could be seen on the map: Steve, Bruce, Thor, the Hulk, Rhodey, Tony, Clint, Natasha, and the MUTO. Fast approaching the beach and the supercarrier was a mysterious ninth marker. No identification on the interface. It was enormous, and the energy signal it gave out was abnormally large. Serizawa studied the map in confusion, unsure of what to make of it. His eyes then widened after his revelation.

"Sensei?" Vivienne asked. He turned slowly to her.

"It's him," he whispered. She suppressed a shocked gasp, knowing full and well who he meant.

"A-are you sure?" she asked nervously. He looked from her and to the map and back again.

"It's the only explanation," he said.

"Wh-what do we do?" she asked.

"Warn the others." Serizawa ran out of the door and began sprinting for the deck. Vivienne was hot on his tail, excited and nervous to see if Serizawa's theory was true. The two scientists emerged onto the outer deck of the supercarrier, illuminated by lights. Jets sat on the runway, and soldiers were darting to and fro across it. Captain Hampton could be seen on deck.

"Come on, soldiers!" he barked. "Get those spotlights on! I want choppers in the air!" Two helicopters began to take off, ascending high over the supercarrier. A soldier tapped Captain Hampton on the shoulder, who turned to find Serizawa and Vivienne standing before him. "Doctors." Serizawa bowed, and Vivienne nodded.

"Sir, do you know of the enormous anomaly headed for the beach?" Vivienne asked.

"All I know is that it's coming and fast," he replied. "I don't suppose you have any idea of what it could be."

"We actually do," Vivienne said.

"Let me guess," Captain Hampton said. "Your alpha predator?" Serizawa nodded. He merely sighed. "You think it's coming to hunt this MUTO?"

"Exactly," Serizawa said.

"Sir, unknown target headed right for us!" a soldier shouted from a watchtower. Serizawa snatched the binoculars around Captain Hampton's neck and peered through them. Several dozen yards before them was enormous amounts of splashing water, white foam billowing out of the sea. He saw a large obsidian colored triangular fin with jagged shaping rise from the water. His breath was caught in his chest. To its right were two more, distanced equally apart from one another. Three large jagged fins were inbound for the island. Tentatively, he handed the binoculars to Vivienne. She peered through them and let out a soft slow gasp.

"Oh my God," she whispered. She handed them to Captain Hampton. He took one glance through the binoculars and dropped them on the ground. His dark face turned lighter, as though he bore witness to a ghost.

"All hands on deck!" he shouted. "Brace for impact! Unknown target closing in on us!" The alarms picked up in volume, and every soldier on deck was doing all they could to make sure everything was secure. Rising higher from the ocean were the fins. It was a daunting sight, like enormous sharks were headed for them. "Doctor, something that size could tear right through our hull!" As quickly as they rose, they sank back into the sea. The helicopter pilots in the air shined their spotlights on the ocean and were greeted by a sight that nearly stopped their hearts. In the light, a large scaly reptilian mass could be seen drifting through the dark waters. It passed directly under the supercarrier, the only sound to be heard being a deep rumbling from below. It was deeper than a whale call and nowhere near as tranquil sounding. The crew raced from one side of the carrier to the other, watching the waves break from the other side. The large triangular fins cut through the water's surface, foam and spray leaping through the air. Behind the large fins were smaller ones, leaving a row that went down an obsidian colored mass of thick scales. The waves rocked two smaller boats, threatening to capsize them, as the three rows of fins slowly encroached upon the shore.

* * *

The commotion had finally begun to settle down along the beachfront area, the power outrage having startled and frightened the civilians. The large ball of fire that exploded in the jungle did little to calm them, but after the power returned, everyone seemed to have calmed themselves. Although the sense of fear had dispersed, there was still lingering traces of agitation and annoyance in the air. Evacuation had skidded to a halt, with the military stating that the trams were undergoing technical difficulties. Sea transport had also been halted, with the storm out at sea giving the ships navigational difficulties. No explain was given as to the nature of these said difficulties, only that the civilians were to stay put. Plenty of them had returned to partying on the beach, drinking and dancing. The dog tied to a tree continued to play in the sand, unaware that anything had happened. The flames of the tiki torches still danced with great energy, casting a soft warm glow on the beach. A little girl was watching her parents dance together. She had long hair, a yellow shirt, and blue shorts. A lei hung from her neck, crafted from beautiful pink flowers. It made her laugh to see her parents being so silly. The soft rushing of the waves behind her was very soothing. It was a sound she had always loved, almost as much as the ocean itself. Other adults besides her parents were there, both older and younger. Many of them laughed and were loud with enjoyment. She didn't mind the loudness as long as she had the sound of the ocean to comfort her. Two young teenagers were being extra loud, and this annoyed her greatly. All she could do was stand there and wait for them to quiet down so she could hear the ocean again. Eventually, they did, but the ocean could not be heard. The little girl turned around and was surprised to see the ocean draining from the beach. The water was draining farther and farther back into the ocean, out past the pier. Many unfortunate fish were left behind by the water and were flopping helplessly on the sand. The girl had never seen such a sight before. She walked closer to the wet sand, wanting to see if she could perhaps follow the water.

"Daddy!" she called, wanting her father to see it.

"Oh my God," he said, having turned to see his daughter. Many others caught the spectacle, and fear was beginning to rise once again. Her father was a middle aged man with short hair, a teal shirt with a matching lei, and dark shorts. "Zoey!" He ran to her and picked her up in his arms, holding her tight. He slowly backed away from the beach and towards the crowd, who stared in awe at the retreating ocean. Fear gripped them when they saw a wave begin to swell up way farther back in the ocean. "Run! RUN!" The father gripped Zoey and began to run with the crowd, driven into a panic. Sirens were going off in the city, which caused even more panic. Dozens of civilians were running down the street, as far away from the beach as their feet could carry them. Some got into their cars and began to speed down the road, determined to reach higher land farther inland. Others took to the safety of the buildings, climbing the stairs and taking the elevators to the rooftops. The dog tugged at its leash until it finally snapped and began running after the humans. Thor, Rhodey, and the Hulk stood on the rooftop, watching the enormous wave swell up and begin to race for the island.

"Fury," Rhodey said. "We've got a huge wave inbound for the city! We need a plan! Otherwise, we're gonna have heavy casualties."

"Discard Fury!" Thor spat. "We will protect these people with or without his aid!" He gripped Mjolnir and gritted his teeth.

"We need a plan," Rhodey said. "Thor, you and I will rescue as many civilians as we can. Hulk, you gotta keep that water from washing away the street."

"How do you propose he does that?" Thor asked. The Hulk looked over at a building beside theirs and saw an enormous billboard sign at the top of the roof. The green brute leapt from their building to that one with a thud as his feet made impact with the roof. He ripped the billboard and slung it over his shoulder. Thor gave him a nod of approval. "Nice." The Hulk merely grinned and leapt down towards the street, sprinting to the end where the buildings stopped. A huge wave began to rush towards the city, threatening to wash away the entire island. The Hulk roared in defiance and slammed the billboard down before him. He pressed his entire green mass against the billboard, holding it firmly in place as the huge torrent of water slammed into it. Water splashed over the top of the billboard, rushing into the streets and washing over the Hulk. Determined to hold the line, he dug his enormous green feet into the concrete and pushed back with all his might. Thor, Rhodey, and several rescue helicopters began airlifting people off the streets and onto the rooftops. Thor had many hanging onto his arms and torso, delivering them to the roof. Rhodey was doing his best to keep up with Thor's count. Plenty of civilians were cleared off the streets, but many more were still escaping.

The billboard began to groan under the weight of the water, with some tearing holes through it. The Hulk had his jaw locked and strained his muscles to hold it in place. Sweat gushed from his body like the spray from the wave. His feet began to drag through the concrete, cutting thick grooves through the hardened material. His breathing was course and heavy as he poured all of his strength into keeping the billboard standing. More water leaked over the top and through tears, soaking the Hulk. He skidded back a bit, the weight of the water gaining ground. Farther back. Farther. The billboard was groaning loudly now, threatening to give way. The Hulk was pushed back farther and farther, finding himself less and less able to hold the billboard in place. With one last push, he stepped forward and was ultimately knocked down by the wall of water. With the billboard no longer obstructing its flow, the wave was free to wash through the city and take out anything and everything in its path. The father and his daughter Zoey had made it to the safety of the rooftop and stared in horror as the mass of water flowed through the city, smashing into buildings, vehicles, and any unfortunate civilian that was unable to make it to safety. Zoey hugged her father tightly, afraid of the rushing water down below. The light from the buildings made the water raging below glow. They began to shutter and then disappeared, the entire city returning to darkness. Rhodey and Thor placed more civilians on the safety of the rooftops. They had managed to save as many as they could, but many innocents were swept in the waters. The two of them felt the Grand Hotel they were standing on top of shake slightly. On the side of the building was the Hulk, carrying a dozen civilians with him. He slung himself over the wall and onto the roof, giving the civilians time to climb off of him. The green giant sat on the ground, completely exhausted from the battering. Thor walked over to him and helped him to his feet. The Hulk merely nodded.

Gunshots rang through the air. Thor, Rhodey, and the Hulk turned to see several flares flying through the air in an arch, having been launched by the soldiers with them on the roof. They drifted through the air like ghosts, glowing dimly in the darkened city. They passed through the air, floating along aimlessly. As they descended to the perilous waters below, they passed before an enormous obsidian and scaly mass. A deep rumbling sound resonated through the air. Civilians on the various rooftops gazed up at the large hulking mass that towered high over their buildings walking through the city.

"Open fire!" a soldier shouted. The Special Forces units on the rooftops began firing at the large mass. The civilians on the rooftops cried out in fear and crouched down low. They emptied their clips to the last bullet before lowering their guns. Dozens of bullets peppered the enormous obsidian mass, and there was no sign of damage to be seen. Thor, Rhodey, and the Hulk stared in awe at it as it passed them, completely oblivious to their presence. Rhodey stepped forward and primed the enormous ballistic cannon on his back. Several rockets launched from it and crashed into the obsidian mass trudging along before them but met the same fate the bullets did. They all stood in disbelief as the giant mass, without any recognition of their existence, turned left and disappeared behind a building, its tail whipping in the wind.

"That was my best weapon," Rhodey said. "And it did nothing."

"That thing is headed for the others," Thor said. "We have to warn them." Spinning his hammer, he leapt through the air and began flying towards the airport. Rhodey rocketed off after him, with the Hulk sprinting along on foot.

* * *

The passengers trapped within the tram were shouting in terror as the MUTO approached them. Steve stood at the front, holding onto his vibranium shield. Inside, he had no idea what he could do to fend it off. He was just one guy, with no true weapons. Gunshots rang out through the air, as two helicopters flew past the tram and unloaded onto the MUTO.

"Everybody get down!" Steve shouted, waving them down. The passengers crouched down low to the floor, fearing for their lives. The MUTO ignored the choppers and approached the tram. It lowered its head and peered inside, mandibles flared. Drool was hanging inside its mouth like cobwebs. With incredible speed, it lunged forward and bit through half the tram. The resulting force caused the tram to tilt downwards, pulling the passengers onboard with it. Steve slammed his shield into the metal as hard as he could. It cut through the metal, and he held onto the handles to prevent falling. Aiko let out a frightened cry as he began to slide downwards. Steve caught him and propped him on top of his shield. The tram tilted further down, dangling from the railings at a solid 90 degree angle. Some passengers were holding onto the benches and railings, but others were not so lucky. A middle aged man, a hefty woman, and an Asian man found themselves falling out of the tram and towards the fiery wreckage of the other half of the tram below. Before they could meet their bitter end, Tony swooped in and caught the two men. Thor had been right on his heels and caught the hefty woman in his arms. The MUTO was being lured away from the tram by the two attack helicopters, its screeches filling the tropical air. Two SHIELD transports rose in front of the tram, one of them containing Clint and Natasha. Their transport would provide covering fire for the other one, which would airlift the passengers aboard the tram to safety. Thor and Tony dropped off the people they rescued onto the transport. Thor flew under the tram and held it at an angle, allowing the passengers to walk to the back opening of the transport. They slowly but steadily made their way inside, and the doors to the transport shut behind them. Steve ripped his shield from the metal and slid it on his back.

"Going down?" Tony asked.

"Preferably," Steve replied. Tony wrapped his arm around Steve and floated down to the ground. The two stood side by side along the runway as the MUTO stomped about. The last civilian, Aiko, entered the transport, and the doors shut behind him.

"Civilians have been rescued," Clint said into the radio.

"Excellent work, Barton," Fury replied. "Make your way back to the Saratoga and deliver your payload. Then, turn back to the city and repeat."

"Copy that," Clint said. He had an arrow trained on the MUTO, which was too busy swatting at the helicopters like flies to take notice of them. The two SHIELD transports flew away from the airport and back towards the flooded city. Thor threw the tram to the ground, seeing it explode upon impact. Tony looked at Steve and Thor.

"Clint and Natasha are headed back to the city," he said. "We're missing two."

"Negative on that," Rhodey said over the radio. He could be seen flying over the tram rail towards them, with the Hulk smashing through trees to get to them. The green giant skidded to a halt before them, his thick heels cutting through some of the concrete.

"The gang's all here," Tony said. "Mostly."

"How sweet of you to remember us," Natasha said over the radio.

"How could I forget?" Tony asked.

"Tony, listen," Rhodey said sternly. "We've got a problem. A big one." Tony glanced back at the MUTO and then to him.

"You act like this is news to me," he said.

"No," Rhodey said. "A bigger one." Tony raised his eyebrows, giving Rhodey a look of disbelief.

"Bigger than that?" he asked, pointing his thumb at the MUTO.

"He speaks the truth, Stark," Thor said. Steve's face looked grave.

"What's going on?" he asked. "Is it Loki? Thanos?"

"Nothing like them," Thor said. "Nothing like anything I had ever seen."

"It's big, and it just flooded half the city," Rhodey said.

"What is it?" Steve asked.

"We're not sure," Thor answered. "But I believe this may be Doctor Serizawa's lost monster."

"That Goji thing?" Tony asked. Thor nodded. A fierce cry from the MUTO interrupted their conversation. It swiped its forelimb into a helicopter, clipping the side of it. The chopper began to spin wildly out of control, torpedoing towards the ground. It slammed into an airplane, causing the enormous aerial vehicle to explode. The enormous explosion sent pieces flying into other airplanes, causing them to explode. The entire airstrip lit up like a detonated minefield. The Avengers on the scene made their way to the center of the airstrip, ready for a rematch with the MUTO. The darkness of the night was replaced by a glow of orange fire that rose high into the air, the airplanes exploding like fireworks. "Fury, that suppression ready to take a beating?"

"Just as long as you are," he replied. The Hulk slammed his fists on the ground, shattering the concrete. Mjolnir crackled with lightning in Thor's hand. Steve held his shield before him, the star in the center shining brightly. Tony and Rhodey primed their weapons, JARVIS scanning the MUTO for any weak parts on its body.

The civilians that were in the airport were cowering in fear and screaming at the sight of the MUTO and the burning airstrip. To them, it was the end of the world. Their screams were quickly silenced as an enormous leg stomped in front of the large window with a deafening thud. The thud caught the attention of both the Avengers and the MUTO. The MUTO turned to investigate the source and staggered back, startled at the sight before it. It spread its wings as far as it could and let out a vicious gargling roar, the sounds of anger and fear heard within it.

"_Vrrrrrr-RAAAAH-AAAAH-AAAAH-AAAAHHH!_"

The team was rendered silent by the sight before them.

"There it is," Thor whispered. The enormous beast before them was a daunting sight. Even the Hulk felt intimidated.

"JARVIS," Tony whispered. "What is that?" The AI began combing through the database, searching staggering numbers of records for any sort of match for what this animal was. The results came back.

"Unknown entity, sir."

The burning clouds from the airplanes drifted in the air, behind the enormous creature. Casting it in a demonic glow.

Two thick elephant like legs held the torso up, the right foot stepping on an airplane and causing it to explode. Four sharp obsidian toes pointed from its feet. A tail as thick as a battlecruiser whipped behind it, fanning the smoke around it. Three pairs of jagged triangular fins ran from half of its tail to the back of its neck, shrinking and then growing in height at the body's center and shrinking back down at the neck again. A rotund torso sat before the tail and legs, muscular scales that resembled human abs lining its stomach. They were a lighter gray from the rest of the obsidian colored body. Muscular arms hung from its body, reaching down to its hips. The hands hung open, the sharp claws sitting at the ends of its fingers. A meaty neck held a small box-like head up. Small gill like fixtures sat on the sides of its neck. The bony brow of the creature hung down, a look of primordial anger on its ace. The yellow eyes burned like atomic blasts. Sharp white teeth were revealed inside the creatures mouth, showing a sneer of anger.

It stood before the Avengers and the MUTO like a mountain, its back straightened and looking incredibly tall. Taller than any building on the island. Civilians inside the airport looked up at the creature as if it were a demon come to destroy them. Fury, Agent Hill, and Coulson stared in shock and disbelief at the creature on the airstrip.

None of them said a word. The Avengers were silent, even Tony. Even if JARVIS couldn't identify it, he knew good and well what it was. They all knew.

The alpha predator. Top of the primordial ecosystem. A god. A monster. A leviathan. A behemoth.

Any label they stuck on it didn't compare.

The name that none of them could bring themselves to say, still rendered speechless in shock and disbelief. In the back of their minds, they all uttered that word.

GODZILLA.

"SHKREEEEEEEE-Oooonghhhhh…."

**Author's Note: Hey, guys. Sorry for the delay on this one. I know you guys are used to me cranking out these chapters in a day of each other, and this one took about a week to put on here. I apologize for that. I'm glad you guys are really invested in the story and want to read more, and I thank you for your patience. This is honestly the longest chapter for a fanfiction I have ever written. It's the moment you've all been waiting for, and I hope it was to your liking. As for why, it took so long, that's a bit of a situation. You see, I kind of found myself burnt out from writing this. Don't get me wrong. I love writing this, but you can only work on something for so long before you need a break from it. I found myself losing motivation, which is a problem I have with my other fanfictions (which will eventually get finished, if you read those as well). I've been watching The Avengers and Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes to stay motivated, but there's only so many times you can watch the Avengers movie before it burns you out. If Godzilla 2014 were on DVD, it would be easier to stay motivated. Alas, I must make do for now. Also, I'm not exactly sure how the quality of my writing is. I know I'm not good at action scenes, but I am very good at character dialogue and exposition. I felt as though my writings here are a bit of a dip from my Jurassic Park fanfiction (which I consider my magnum opus). If anybody reading this wishes to critique my writing skills and give me some pointers for improvement, please provide it. By all means. I always strive to improve my craft as best I can. Just remember the difference between criticism and being a dick, alright? **

**Anyway, sorry for the wall of bold text. I hope this was worth the wait. As for when the next chapter will be up, I can't say. I really work on a "whenever I feel like" schedule. It all depends on how motivated I feel on the subject. Sorry for the uncertainty,but it's the best I can provide.**


	10. Honolulu Rumble

The force was indescribable. Like watching the Titans duel on the peak of Mount Olympus. The Leviathan and Behemoth dueling amongst the shattered crust and smashing waves. The Earth and Moon colliding, reducing all to dust. No one metaphor seemed to deem the sight justice. It was something that had to be witnessed to truly know.

Godzilla slammed its mighty fist into the side of the MUTO's head, sending it reeling through the air. It skidded through the airstrip, kicking up clouds of dust and chunks of concrete and asphalt. The planes exploded upon impact, the gasoline burning and glowing like fireworks. With a snarl, the MUTO bolted to its feet and charged its opponent. Godzilla slammed its shoulder into the oncoming MUTO, sending it to the ground once more. The giant reptile staggered but remained on its feet. Determined to take down its competition, Godzilla ripped a large tower from its base and hurled it at the MUTO. It exploded in a cloud of dust and rock, missing the MUTO but keeping it off its feet for a little longer. The panicked civilians inside the airport screamed as the windows shattered and debris fell upon them. The Avengers watched the sight in horror and shock.

"That thing's gonna cause as much damage as the MUTO!" Steve shouted.

"We've gotta lure it away from the civilians," Rhodey said.

"Right," Tony said. "And how do we do that?" They watched the MUTO kick at Godzilla while it fluttered around. Thor spun Mjolnir in his hand and gripped the handle tightly.

"We fight," he grunted. The Hulk huffed in agreement. Electricity crackled in Thor's hammer.

"Hold on, big guy," Steve said. "We need a plan of attack before we engage these guys."

"I have a plan," Thor said. "Attack."

"Um, my joke?" Tony said. Thor leapt through the air, Mjolnir pointed at the two monsters. The Hulk charged after him, kicking up bits of concrete with every stomp. Tony flew past Steve after the others. "Rhodey. Let's move." He was already hot on Tony's heels after the two beasts.

"Natasha, I need pickup," Steve said, figuring his odds would be better behind a gun rather than just a shield.

"Copy that," she replied. Godzilla and the MUTO were snapping at each other, the scaly hand wrapped firmly around the plated neck. A sharp pain in the side of its head sent the giant reptile staggering back. The MUTO cried out as it felt its wings singed by intense heat. Tony and Rhodey peppered the wing membrane with missiles and bullets while Mjolnir made contact with Godzilla's cheek. The giant beasts felt their anger now being directed to the small nuisances hovering around them like gnats. Godzilla reared its mighty arm back and swatted at Tony and Rhodey. The MUTO leapt upon its back and clawed at the softer flesh between the hard dorsal plates. The mighty beast roared in irritation, its arms too short to pull the MUTO off of it. Godzilla turned its enormous bulk to snatch at the creature on its back. The MUTO leaned its body to the side to avoid its adversary's mighty grip, flapping its wings to stay balanced. A missile in the side of its face got the MUTO's attention. The SHIELD transport Natasha was piloting whizzed past the giant creature. Steve was loading another rocket into the launcher, with Clint priming an explosive arrow. With a gargly snarl, the MUTO swiped at the transport over Godzilla's shoulder. The giant reptile wrapped its thick fingers around its skinny forelimb and pulled it over its shoulder, slamming it into the ground. The MUTO let out a creaky moan, struggling to rise from the cracked pavement. Godzilla howled and raised its leg to stomp on its fellow living fossil when a powerful force slammed into its nose. Mjolnir, after colliding with Godzilla's snout, returned to Thor's grasp. Godzilla fell onto its back, sending car sized chunks of concrete through the air. The MUTO scuttled down the runway from Godzilla only to be intercepted by the Hulk, who dug his green fingers under a groove in its carapace and began pulling. The sharp edge of the carapace dug into the MUTO's soft flesh underneath, causing it to hiss in pain. Tony and Rhodey peppered Godzilla's face with gunfire as it rose to its feet. The giant grabbed a handful of concrete and threw it at them. Tony narrowly avoided taking a hit, but Rhodey was less fortunate. A chunk the size of the Hulk hit him with full force, crashing him into the ground.

The MUTO had managed to get airborne and was now flying for the city. Huffing loudly, Godzilla jogged after it, determined to kill the competition. The flying monster made a sharp u-turn around a large building and swung into Godzilla's right side. It used the pointed ends of its forelimbs to stab into Godzilla's neck. The giant reptile responded by biting into the MUTO's leg, threatening to rip it from its own body.

The crew of the Helicarrier was scrambling wildly to find some way to assist the Avengers.

"Agent Hill, are we able to open fire on the monsters?" Fury shouted.

"Negative, sir!" she replied. "Not without putting civvies and our own boys in danger." Fury clenched his fist.

"Hear that, Captain?" he asked over the radio. "We're sitting ducks up here."

"That suppression field still kicking?" Steve asked.

"Correct," Fury replied. "You're safe from any EMPs. But we need you to get the monsters out of there."

"Yeah? Tell us something we don't know!" Tony said. Rhodey launched a missile into the MUTO's mouth, which detonated and spilled plenty of blood. The creature began to chase Rhodey and snap him in half. Thor leapt onto Godzilla's head and began slamming Mjolnir into it. Godzilla grabbed at Thor, but the Asgardian drifted out of its reach. The mighty reptile bit his cape and pulled on it, sending Thor flying through the air like a ragdoll. The Hulk climbed its flesh like the side of a mountain, punching randomly at any spot for some weakness. Godzilla slapped him like a mosquito, causing the big green giant to fall to the ground. A missile flew into the reptile's eye and detonated, temporarily blinding the beast. Holding its eye with one hand and swatting at the air with another, Godzilla's claw managed to clip the SHIELD transport. Natasha kept the vehicle as steady as she could, but the flying transport ultimately crashed. "Cap!" Tony heard coughing over the radio, so they were at least alive.

"There's a fire in here!" Steve shouted. His words were partially obscured by the sound of alarms blaring over the radio.

"The emergency release is jammed!" Natasha yelled. "We need these doors open!" Tony flew towards the downed transport and reached his armored fingers in between a shear in the metal, pulling at it with all his might. He heard the sound of rockets cutting off and saw Rhodey pulling on the opposite door to him. A huge green mass of flesh obscured his view of his good friend. The Hulk had punched clean through the metal door and ripped it right off the transport, throwing it into a pile of rubble beside them. Smoke billowed out of the opening, with Steve, Clint, and Natasha materializing through it. The three of them took in the clean air of the outside.

"Thanks, Stark," Steve said.

"Don't be so quick to thank me," Tony said as he patted his star spangled friend on the shoulder, remembering how he set him on the path to watching The Phantom Menace. A loud booming rumble interrupted their conversation, and a thick shadow fell over them. Loud thuds shook the ground, and the Avengers turned to see Godzilla standing over them. An angry sneer lined his face, his yellow eyes piercing through them.

"_Vrrrrrr-RAAAAH-AAAAH-AAAAH-AAAAHHH!_"

Godzilla turned to confront the noise and saw the MUTO flying for the open ocean. The MUTO knew it could not confront its enemy directly and felt escape was the best option. Godzilla howled in anger, finding itself angrier at the MUTO than the little humans that attacked it. They were soon completely forgotten to the large reptile, as it turned and hustled for the ocean. Enormous waves leapt from the ocean as Godzilla descended into the dark ocean, determined to chase its competition down and kill it. The creature's dark dorsal plates could scarcely be seen silhouetted against the night sky. The USS Saratoga and the other navy ships were turning around to follow Godzilla and the MUTO. The Avengers stood there, staring in disbelief at the shrinking silhouettes of the two monsters disappear along the horizon. It was one thing to watch two monsters fight, but to fight two monsters was something else entirely.

"Avengers, return to the Helicarrier," Fury said on the radio. "We need to be ready for another fight."

"Sir, what about Honolulu?" Steve asked. "There are still thousands of civilians trapped here."

"SHIELD's got agents in charge of search, rescue, and evac," Fury responded. "We need the Avengers to do the fighting right now. Not the rescuing. We've got two monsters making their way for the American West, and we need as much defense as possible right now." Steve sighed slowly after a minute of silence.

"Understood." The last thing he wanted was to leave behind any trapped or injured civilians. This wasn't what he was trained for. But Fury had a point: the Avengers were the best defense against the giant monsters, and they needed to be on point. "Send in a transport." Fury pressed a button on the command module, signaling for a transport to be sent. United States and SHIELD forces were swarming the city to put out the fires and to save all those that could be saved.

"This is bad, Agent Hill," he said. "Very bad."

"I'm running the numbers as we speak, sir," she said. "There are thousands predicted to be dead, and the damage to the city alone is clocking in at several million-"

"It's worse than just numbers, Agent Hill," Fury interrupted. "One of the reasons the Cold War ended was because the United States had claimed it had killed Godzilla. Obviously, that's no longer true. Now that the world knows these things are real, the Cold War may heat up again."

"Relations between the US and Russia have been shaky for years now," Coulson said. "With the US's major power play no longer viable, things could get ugly real fast."

* * *

The meeting room was buzzing with both Americans and Russians chattering amongst each other, curious as to what was happening. The Russian President demanded a meeting with the United States President, curious as to the fate of his nuclear submarine. Tension was high between the two countries, with the submarine's disappearance and its unauthorized entrance into US waters. Admiral Stenz had been personally investigating the matter and was personally summoned by the president to help quell the tension with Russia on the matter. Things were still heated, regardless. The two presidents were going back and forth, grilling each other for answers but nobody would say anything.

"This is quite curious. My submarine disappears in your country's waters, yet you deny you had anything to do with it. What am I to make of this?"

"You assume that we would have attacked your submarine on sight without contacting you. You don't know us as well as you think."

"I've seen your track record over in the Middle East. Might I just say-" Their thoughts were interrupted when their agents whispered into their ears. Their faces went white, and the talks completely stopped. Curious murmurs rose from the crowd, curious as to what was said. A TV was turned on, showing a visibly shaken man with grey hair in a suit. The caption under him read "Colossal Fossil Faceoff in Honolulu".

"Ladies and gentlemen, I am Steve Martin reporting to you live from Honolulu," he said. "I can hardly describe what it is we have just witnessed here, but it is unlike anything I have ever seen before in my entire life. What any of us have ever seen before. This footage you are going to witness is not doctored or altered in any way. It is not a hoax or anything of the sort. What we are witnessing is 100% real." The footage that came next made everyone's blood run cold. Two giant creatures were fighting, with the city ablaze behind them. Admiral Stenz recognized the MUTO immediately, but he could hardly believe what the second creature was. "Honolulu has become a stomping ground for these two giant beasts. One is some sort of enormous flying insect while the other is some sort of giant dinosaur. As you can see here, the Avengers went into battle with the monsters but were ultimately unable to defeat them. The giant insect flew for the ocean, and the dinosaur swam after it. It's every science fiction film come true, but it unfortunately brought the harrowing consequences of reality with it. Thousands are believed to be dead, with the damage to the city skyrocketing into the millions. United States and SHIELD forces are searching for survivors and evacuating whoever they can…."

The reporter continued discussing the situation at hand, but Admiral Stenz heard none of it. The president turned slowly to him, his face white with fear.

"Oh no," Admiral Stenz breathed.

* * *

**Author's Note: Sorry if this chapter is a bit too short for your liking. I've had it sitting on my computer for a while now, and I wanted to finish it. I've got a lot planned for this fanfiction's future, but I need to get there first before I can put it into action. I've been watching Marvel's Avengers Assemble and Marvel's Agents of SHIELD to keep me invested. I've also been playing Marvel Heroes 2015 and Marvel's Avengers Alliance to help. Also been playing with the new Godzilla 2014 model in Garry's Mod and SFM. If I had some good models for the Avengers to play with, I could definitely help stay invested. I've also been reading the Godzilla novel based on the film. They've helped, but interest fluctuates with the passing days. Please note that I have no plans on cancelling this. It just takes a bit long for me to get invested and get going. But it's here. And hopefully, I'll have more for you guys.**

**I've also revisted chapters 3, 4, and 5 to include Joe Brody in the story. It doesn't change that much of the story, but I figured it would be a nice little thing to include.**

**Anyway, hope you guys liked this chapter.**


	11. Poetics

"Welcome back, ladies and gentlemen. I am Steve Martin reporting to you live. For those of you just joining us, our world was completely changed last night. The city of Honolulu, Hawaii was devastated by what can only be described as monsters. Two enormous monsters the likes of which humanity has never been seen before." The footage from last night's battle is played on the television while Steve Martin continues speaking. "This footage is 100% real. Not a hoax and not a movie. Honolulu was stomped into the ground by these enormous creatures. Damage caused by the monsters' battling was piled on by an enormous flood. The Avengers, with the assistance of United States military officer Colonel James Rhodes, came to help combat the monsters but proved ineffective. Thousands are estimated to be dead, with the damage to the city totaling in at about $47 billion. Last night after the creatures left, the President of the United States went to the television waves to explain to the public what had happened." The footage then switched to that of the president at a press conference, camera flashes and arms waving like crazy. "Two monsters attacked the city: a giant insect like creature and some sort of large dinosaur. The insect was labeled "MUTO": Massive Unidentified Terrestrial Organism. However, when questioned about the other monster, he declined an answer. However, new evidence has recently come to light from the efforts of the hacktivist group known as the Rising Tide." A black and white photograph of Godzilla's back rising out of the water appeared onscreen. "The creature is called "Godzilla" and has apparently existed for some time. Unearthed from the floor of the Pacific Ocean back in 1954 during a nuclear test, the United States and Soviet Union made several attempts to kill the creature via nuclear weapons. The creature had been thought to have been killed, but recent events sadly prove otherwise. Other files that the Rising Tide leaked to the internet include exactly how many and which nuclear tests were attempts to kill the monster. This Godzilla had also done battle with other monsters, such as this other MUTO specimen known as "Shinomura"." Daisuke Serizawa's original sketch of the creature appeared on the screen. "No photographs exist of this creature. Only files and this drawing by the late Daisuke Serizawa, Hiroshima survivor and father of world renown Monarch scientist Ishiro Serizawa. Ladies and gentlemen, this is harrowing news. Our world has gotten much smaller, and many questions now float in the air. What is our military's plan for these monsters? Why was this kept a secret from the public? And are there more of these MUTOs out there?" The TV was turned off by a visibly agitated Admiral Stenz, who rubbed the back of his hot neck.

"Damn those hackers," he said with a huff. He stared out of the window of the aircraft carrier, his view of the other navy vessels obscured by the large dorsal plates jutting from the water. Four ships were sailing alongside Godzilla as it swam through the water after the MUTO. The enormous rows of dorsal fins along its back were as long as the aircraft carrier Admiral Stenz was on. The Helicarrier was drifting high above the ocean, the SHIELD crew on high alert.

"Happens to the best of us," Fury said on the radio.

"Make sure you stay high above the creature," Admiral Stenz warned. "We can't afford to lose that Helicarrier." The Helicarrier was far out of the way of the giant reptile but definitely needed to worry about the MUTO. The MUTO's readings were on display via hologram, showing its body temperature, flying speed, and intended path. It was predicted to reach San Francisco, California if it continued on its current course.

The Avengers plus Rhodey all sat at a table in the command center, with Fury, Coulson, and Hill all manning the deck. Morale among them had proven to be quite low with their three losses against the monsters. Down over the sea, several small spherical objects passed over Godzilla and scanned the creature's massive bulk. Readouts and data alongside a projection of Godzilla were displayed via hologram on the command deck.

"I want to know exactly what we're dealing with here," Fury said.

"Data compiled, sir," JARVIS stated. Tony had JARVIS interface with the Helicarrier for maximum efficiency. Fury kept JARVIS locked out of anything too secret, much to Tony's chagrin. The hologram displayed various numbers and measurements beside the Godzilla projection. It clocked in at about 355 feet tall and 550 feet and two inches long, weighing in at about 90,000 tons. Other bits of information popped up, such as the number of dorsal plates on its back and teeth in its mouth. The flesh was revealed to be several feet deep and had a structure similar to that of Kevlar. The numbers shook the team, stupefying them. Another display popped up, showing the body temperature of the giant reptile.

"That's almost twice the length of the Philippines skeleton," Vivienne said, looking over at Serizawa.

"Our Helicarrier is bigger," Fury bragged.

"90,000 tons," Bruce said in astonishment. "That's not possible. A creature of that size should have collapsed in on itself when it made landfall."

"Do you wanna tell him that?" Steve asked, pointing out the window and to the beast swimming under them.

"He is right," Vivienne said. "No ordinary bone structure would support an animal of that size outside of water."

"So he's got titanium bones?" Tony asked.

"Tungsten," Serizawa said. Tony blinked at him. "His bones are as hard as tungsten."

"Harder than that," Fury interrupted. He pressed a button and several pictures of broken drilling equipment of various ranges and designs were projected before them. "Some of the best drilling tech in the world. Didn't make a single scratch on the bones Monarch found in the Philippines."

"Jesus," Tony said. "Somebody's been drinking his milk."

"The real kicker is right here," Fury said, pointing at the holographic display of Godzilla's body temperature. The chest was the hottest part of its body. The numbers shown beside the beating heart showed incredibly high energy numbers. "This thing is producing more energy than the world's most powerful nuclear reactor." Tony noticed something odd with the room. He glanced around quickly to see everyone that was accounted for.

"Anybody seen Thor?" he asked. The Asgardian had slipped away during the news report and was nowhere to be found on the Helicarrier. In fact, he wasn't on it at all. Far down below, the mighty Thor flew along the surface of the water next to the colossal Godzilla. With caution, he lightly landed upon the bulky back of the creature. The thick obsidian mass of flesh underneath his boots was wet from the ocean, the foam from the waves lapping at the edges that peaked over the water's surface. He struggled to keep himself upright as the body shifted with the creature's breathing. Very few things impressed Thor. His team, Captain Rogers, his girl Jane Foster, and this beast. In all the nine realms, he had never seen such a creature before. Not one of this size and power, anyway. Legends of mighty beasts were not new to his people, but he had never thought they'd be real. Thor had heard tales of a monster from those descended from the ancestors of a wandering Berserker army that had ventured to Midgard to wage war. It had no name but was spoken about in fear and reverence. Both savior and destroyer.

"Could you be the same?" he asked aloud. The only response he received was the sound of the water splashing against the creature's hide and the salty spray on his face. He knew he would receive no answer but ultimately didn't need one anyway. No mortal creature could live that long, not even Godzilla. Thor wanted to believe it was the beast of legend, though. The Asgardian felt so odd. His people were worshipped as gods. He had fought frost giants, dark elves, and even his own brother. He fought alongside metal men, a super soldier, and a man beast. Yet, now, he felt so small. An ant compared to an animal larger than any living being he had ever seen. Perhaps this is how Jane and others felt around him? Such a revelation made him feel daunted. He blinked and shook his head, unsure of everything now. Despite all he had been through, with Malekith, Loki, and the Chitauri, this whole discovery of the MUTO and Godzilla was still settling in to him. Thor was unsure if he was dreaming or not, and this frustrated him. He had been trained to be the king of Asgard, to be certain of all decisions and never second guess himself. The latter was what he was doing now. Odin had never trained him to deal with monsters capable of destroying worlds. He needed certainty now. He held Mjolnir in his left hand and knelt down, extending his right hand out below. With ease, he pressed his bare palm into the flesh of the monster's back. The Asgardian slowly shut his eyes and let the energy of the world take its course. What he felt was indescribable. Through his palms, he could feel the raw power that coursed through the reptile's veins. Every heartbeat made its way to him, hitting him like a hurricane. And yet he held his own. An intense fire burned deep inside its heart, strong enough to act as its own power source. It felt intense. Amazing. Overwhelming. Reluctantly, Thor opened his eyes and lifted his hand off the obsidian flesh. He was breathing heavily, as though he had just finished a marathon. The power he felt rivaled that of Mjolnir itself. With a deep sigh, he nodded to himself and silently thanked the creature. This was real. He had not gone crazy. Thor kicked off from the creature's hide and darted upwards for the Helicarrier. He flew high over the top and then drifted slowly down. His feet thumped firmly on the flight deck of the Helicarrier with every step as he returned inside. Until Fury, Rogers, Jane, or Asgard needed something of him, he would watch Godzilla from an observation platform. The electronic doors opened, and Vivienne was inside staring down at the creature. "Doctor Graham." She turned to him quickly and nodded.

"Hello, Thor," she said. "Sorry, I didn't hear you come in." Thor merely smiled and walked over to her, stopping beside her.

"It's quite fine," he replied. He gazed down at the animal drifting through the ocean. "It's following the MUTO. Determined to kill it."

"Secure its place as the top of the food chain," Vivienne said. "Logical."

"If it succeeds in its quest, what do you think will come of it after?" Thor asked. Vivienne frowned, and she looked down at her shoes.

"I'm not quite sure," she admitted. "I suppose it would return to its undersea home, wherever that may be." She looked back at him and saw pure focus on his face. The scientist attempted to suppress a giggle but couldn't help herself.

"Something amusing to you?" Thor asked gently.

"I'm sorry, but that look on your face," she said, regaining composure. "It's funny to see on someone else that isn't Sensei." Thor laughed. "You've seen something in it." Thor slowly turned to look at her.

"This creature fascinates me," he said. "So grand and regal. I…. I touched it." Vivienne's eyes widened in surprise.

"You did what?" she asked excitedly.

"I touched it," he repeated. "Touched it. With my bare hand."

"What did it feel like?" Her mind was racing with questions, as though she had reverted back to her little schoolgirl days.

"Remarkable," Thor stated. "The skin, it was smooth but firm. Like the metal of Mjolnir. But what was truly remarkable was the power. I felt what I think was its soul. Unparalleled power, unlike anything else here in Midgard."

"Director Fury has calculated that Godzilla's heart is more powerful than our greatest nuclear reactor," Vivienne said.

"It was more than just energy," Thor said. "I felt something… alive in there. Something almost human."

"Perhaps you felt its emotions," Vivienne said, trying to help him rationalize what he felt. "They are capable of that, you know."

"It was more than that, too," Thor said. "I felt… an old warrior. A tired man of the world. A fighter, like father. Lady Sif. And the Warriors Three." Vivienne stared at him with great intensity, entranced by what he was saying. Although she remained skeptical as to the concept of animals having self awareness and identity, he had peered into the monster personally. Being an Asgardian, it may be possible he saw something science couldn't detect. "I felt a desire to remain alone, aloof from the rest of the world. Yet, I also felt this desire to protect what belonged to it. A wandering warrior."

"Like a samurai," Vivivenne said. Thor blinked at her, not understanding. "They're Japanese swordsmen, bound by a code. The Bushido. Samurai were honorable and brave. Like you." Thor smiled and nodded at her.

"You honor me, doctor," he said. "I admit that your Midgard culture fascinates me. Once all this is set and done, you could perhaps teach me more of these samurai." Vivienne smiled.

"I'd love to," she said eagerly. "And perhaps you could teach me of Asgard's culture."

"I'd love to," Thor said with genuine enthusiasm. "When I touched the mighty beast, I was reminded of an old tale from Asgard's past. As well as your home's." He had Vivienne's undivided attention. "Long ago, a band of Asgardian warriors made their way to Midgard to wage war. They had been caught in a terrible storm out at sea and were attacked by a giant tentacle beast known as the Kraken. It threatened to drag them all down with it to the dark depths when they were saved. A monster much larger than the Kraken lifted itself from the raging waves and consumed the beast. The warriors that returned to Asgard passed this tale down to today's people."

"You believe this monster to be Godzilla?" Vivienne asked.

"Not this one, per say," Thor said. "Perhaps an ancestor?" Their conversation was interrupted by blaring alarms. SHIELD agents rushed through the halls as though the ship was being attacked. "This will have to wait." Vivienne cursed under her breath at the abrupt end but knew this was important. The two made their way to the bridge, where all major personnel had gathered.

"Where you been, big guy?" Tony asked, turning to Thor.

"How foul does this situation bear?" Thor asked. The holographic display was projecting news coverage from Las Vegas, Nevada. A giant black insect like creature with red markings on it was laying waste to Sin City. Vivienne stared at the footage in horror.

"Bad," Coulson stated. "Really bad."

"Another MUTO attack?" Thor asked worriedly. "How can this be? The MUTO could not have reached this city so swiftly."

"You're right," Fury said. "It couldn't have. This is a MUTO attack. But not our MUTO." That's when Thor looked back to the news feed again and noticed something damning about the rampaging monster.

It didn't have wings.


End file.
